Battala de Paz
by White Replica
Summary: A world where petty battles aren't fought, where peace is led with the use of a revolutionary program. Changes, however, make this year... interesting.
1. Log In

**Maqui: yay! My first story as White Replica! 8DAnywayz, this is just a short intro:)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO MARK WALDEN  
**

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**Username: Raven Black**

**Date: August 29, 2019**

**--Log in--**

**Countries don't fight silly, useless wars, where no one wins anything anymore. An ingenious plan by Maximilian Nero has created a new era of peace for 2019. Battala de Paz has created a more peaceful, more orderly way of fighting wars. There have been no world wars, annihilating generations of lives, at least, not since the Bloodred Midnight war….**

**Every year, a representative from any participating country goes to the Island, a quiet, secluded location where representatives fight in Battala de Paz. They uphold the honor of their country, and the safety of it as well. Countries sponsor each representative to send him or her to the Island.**

**No one could have expected to have him this year. He may make this year the most… exhilarating, than ever before…….**

**Let the games begin.**

**--Log out--**

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8D  
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	2. Name: Wing Fanchu

**Hi all! This is (technically, but not in this case) the first real chapter of the story! Sorry if they're OC or something..... Not a very well-written story either.....  
**

**DISCLAIMER: NOTHING BELONGS TO ME. ALL BELONGS TO THE ALMIGHTY MARK WALDEN  
**

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"_Catch me if you can!" he shouted to his friend. A young boy, around the age of five, was chasing him, who was only a few feet away. He giggled in delight, as the fireflies in the field ran alongside him, chasing his best friend. The young boy sped up, and jumped. He fell onto his best friend, laughing. His best friend, getting over the quick shock, started laughing as well. They were laughing like no tomorrow; laughing over nothing. _

_The young boy crawled off his friend, and he lay on the long grasses of the field. His friend sat upward, and stared at the sky. He sighed._

"_Is something wrong my friend?" the young boy asked. "Oh, nothing in particular." His friend replied. The young boy looked at him with worry. His friend only spoke like an adult when something was wrong. His friend wasn't looking at him either; another tell-tale sign that there was something wrong. His friend looked up to the sky again, as if to hide his face. _

"_I'm moving."_

_Those two words… they shattered the young boy's heart. He stood up quickly, almost tripping over the traditional kimono that he was wearing (1). "What do you mean you're moving!?" he exclaimed. The other boy, his best friend, looked down. "My mom wants to move to London, so that we won't have to be so far away from daddy." He admitted. His father worked as a Computer designer in London, and he supported his family by sending money to them.  
"But that's on the other side of the world! You can't go. I won't let you!" the young boy said, grabbing his friend's hand, as if to keep him close. _

"_I'm sorry, but I have to leave." His friend replied. The young boy's grip loosened. His friend was always the more sensible of the two._

_Suddenly, the young boy's friend removed his hand from his grip, rummaging through his pocket. He procured a small gold box, and held it in front of the young boy's face. "What's this?" the young boy asked, tilting his head to the side. "Open it." His friend replied. The young boy took it gently, and opened it. He gasped._

"_Is this…"_

"_Yep. It's a promise necklace." His friend replied, a slight blush on his face. They had heard about it when their mothers talked about them. Apparently, you have to have a necklace that has been split in two. If you make promises while the two halves are together, those promises would never break (2). _

_The necklace that he had looked like a white comma, with a black dot on the top. "I have the other side." His friend said, lifting the string that hung from his neck to show its black counterpart._

_The young boy hung the necklace around his neck. They came closer to each other, conjoining the two halves._

_The young boy's friend smiled, and started speaking boldly. "I promise that no matter how far we are from each other, I will come back. I promise that I will come back to you." _

_The young boy smiled also. "I promise that no matter how long it will take for you to come back, no matter how far the distance, I will be waiting for you. I will welcome you back home with open arms, and a big smile on my face." The young boy looked at his friend straight in the face, memorizing every detail. His bright blue eyes, his rosy cheeks, and his angelic white hair. "I promise that I will never forget about you."_

"_Come back soon"_

And he woke up.

* * *

He felt himself being shaken by two pairs of small hands. "Wake up! Wake up Big Brother!" one of the hands said.

When Wing realized that hands could not speak, he scratched his eyes and looked at the things that woke him.

"Good morning, you two." He said, addressing his two younger siblings (3).

"You'd better get up now. Momma's made a really big breakfast!" The younger of the two said. She was a small, light-skinned girl, with raven black hair that reached up to her waist and bright green eyes.

"Yeah, Yuki's right. Momma says she wants you there especially." The other said. This was Haru, Yuki's fraternal twin. He had raven black hair like his sister's, but it only hovered above his shoulders. His eyes were brown, like Wing's. They started pulling him from both sides. An excellent way to get a person out of bed, that is, if you were not the person.

"Okay, _okay_! I'm coming!"

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The twins ran out of his bedroom, with Wing rubbing his previously stretched arms. Apparently, his older sister had been subjected to the same treatment that the twins supplied, because she was also seen walking out, rubbing her arms.

"_Ohayo_, big sis." Wing greeted. She could only wave her hand at him. She was still too tired to talk.

Once they had entered the kitchen, their mother greeted them with a warm smile on her face. She had black hair that turned slightly brown when sunlight shone on it. It was beautiful, but not as beautiful as her eyes. They were a bright apple green, full of life, full of love. This was Mei Fanchu.

Their father stood by their mother, tall, imposing, but quite kind and fatherly. He had raven black hair, and dashing brown eyes. This was Mao Fanchu.

"Good morning father, mother." Wing's sister said. He and his sister took their seats beside the two youngest twins. Mao and Ai sat down on the table, with smiles on their faces.

"_Ittedakimasu." _ They all said with gusto. The family started getting the food from the ten different plates, the youngest getting everything.

Wing got some food, but instead of eating it, he stared at it. Their mother only made this much food whenever something _really _special was going to happen. Apparently, his sister Hana had noticed this as well, because she was still staring at their parents with apprehension.

"Okay, what's happening here? The only time mom makes a big breakfast like this is when Dad's going to announce something big." She exclaimed. Their mother's grin widened, and their father cleared his throat.

"Wing has been chosen to represent Japan in_ Batalla de Paz_."

At the very moment that was announced, there was an almost synchronized clang of utensils. The twin's mouths were slightly agape; Hana had dropped her fork, egg spilled on her lap. Wing was just staring at his mother and his father, mouth barely open.

"No. Freakin'. Way."

"It's true." Their mother replied, clapping her hands together. "Lao sponsored you, because he knew you had the potential. He also received support from our government." Wing's eyes widened. He may have performed in front of the government, but he didn't know that they thought he was good enough for the Island.

"They consented to paying half of the price for your travels. You're going to the Island!" Wing's mother exclaimed. She hugged him tightly, and Wing started to lose his breath. "Mom. Choking. Imminent. Death." He said. His mother released him, laughing with the rest of his family. Wing, however, plopped down onto his chair.

"_Batalla de Paz_ _…"_

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**(1) I'm not sure, but according to tradition or something, sickly children wore kimonos. Why he was sickly, you'll find out ^.^**

**(2) I know, it's really cheesy, but that was the only thing I could think of!**

**(3) In the real book, I don't think he has any siblings. Then again, this _is _a fanfiction**

**The names of the parents just came into my head, either that or they were the real alias names. Oh, and if you tell me that naginatajutsu is usually for girls, it's because Wing was thought to be a girl before .**

**Ja ne :"  
**


	3. Name: Laura Brand

**HI ALL!!!!!!!**

**Sadly enough, I'm back, so TIME FOR SOME OTTOH TORTURING! MUAHAHAHA.**

**Otto: What the- Gah!!!!!!**

**Me: do the disclaimer!!!!!**

**Otto:**

**DISCLAIMER: WHITE REPLICA DOES NOT OWN ANYTHING. MARK WALDEN OWNS ALL.**

**Me: Thank you **

**(\ /)**

**(=.=)**

**(") (")

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_Drip… Drip… Drip… Drip…_

A red haired teen watched as the raindrops landed on her window, and slid down, down, down….

_Drip… Drip… Drip… Drip…_

One could tell she was very bored.

_Drip… Drip… Drip… Drip…_

Or waiting for something

_Drip… Drip… Drip… Drip…_

She sighed. Her brilliant green eyes were laced with boredom.

_Drip… Drip… Drip… Drip…_

**BANG!!!**

Her mantra was interrupted when she heard her door slam open.

_Finally!_

A woman in her late thirties appeared at the door, her auburn hair bouncing as she entered. "Good morning Laura." She greeted, addressing the younger girl before her. "Good morning mother!" Laura replied, jumping into her mother's arms. She always did enjoy her mother's entrances. They always broke her boring, rainy-day mantra.

"It's best that we head to the training area now. Coach Adams is waiting for us." Her mother said. Laura nodded, grabbing her glasses and a strange looking leather case.

The Brand Family was a rich one, seeing as they received a lot of money from their protection services. However, money did not mean much to Laura. She was not the spoiled brat type of girl. In fact, her training kept her in line.

Her very… _unusual _training, at least for a 16 year old, kept her very much in line.

Laura and her mom arrived to the training grounds, hand in hand. There was a small room by the door of the training area, with large headsets and some protective gear hanging on its wall. There was the distant sound of bangs, and idle chatter. Laura and her mother put on the protective gear.

"You ready dear?" her mother asked. Laura sighed. Her mother would always ask this to her. In fact, it had become a routine. In the morning, she would wake up, eat, bathe, and wait for her mother to come back from her daily meetings. Then, they would walk together to the training center, and before each session, her mother would ask whether she was ready or not.

"You already know the answer mom." She replied, adjusting her headset. They entered the enormous training grounds that looked bigger on the inside than the outside. They were oblivious to the noises surrounding them, from the guns being fired. The only thing Laura paid attention to was her trainer. A burly 30 year old, clad in black, was instructing a few cousins of hers. The trainer was a brunette, with a tough look in his eye, that contrasted with his kind smile. Laura smiled back at him.

"Coach Adams!" She shouted over the din, walking to the older man. "Hi Laura. I've got some good news for you. Let me just finish with this kid." He said, referring to the self-assured looking teen beside him. Laura sighed. The kid would be going through a lot of scolding in three…two…one…

"**WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" **her coach shouted. There were glaringly obvious mistakes in his stance, and yet he was oh-so-confident in what he was doing. Once Coach Adams had corrected the kid, he grumbled off in Laura's direction. He met up with his friend, and started to mock the coach.

"As if _he _knows what he's doing…"

"Remember _I'm _the candidate for the heir of the business, not _him. _He is just the stupid little—"

BANG.

A bullet shot past his ear, so close to grazing it. The boy felt the heat of the bullet pass by his ear, and as the bullet cut off a sliver of his hair, he freaked out.

"What the hell were you thinking?! I could have been— Oh…" He saw Laura, with her gun raised in his face. He stopped in his tracks completely. "If you utter a _single _word about Coach Adams again, it'll be more than just your hair that'll be cut off." She threatened. The kid and his friend ran off as if they were frightened puppies chased after a Rottweiler.

"Nice shot." Her coach commented. "But I think the gun went a little bit far, don't you think?" Laura growled. "Those brats were insulting you! And the kid you were teaching was so sure he was going to be the next heir, it just makes me so—"Coach Adams put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. Besides," he said, grinning. "I have good news for you." He said, handing her an envelope.

"What's…. Oh holy crap." She said. In the envelope was a formal letter, with regards from—

"The _Island_?!" Laura exclaimed. As she kept on reading, her coach's grin widened.

"Your parents had the idea." He said. "They wanted you as the new heir, so what better way than to prove yourself at the Island? I sponsored you though." Looking proud, he jabbed his finger to his chest. "So that means I'm bringing you to the official send off an—" "OH THANK YOU!!!!!!" Laura exclaimed once more, hugging him. The older man blushed.

Laura, however, could only think of one thing.

"_The Island… The Island… The Island…"

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**Sorry for the crappy chapter, I'm REALLY sleepy.**

**8D**


	4. Name: Shelby Trinity

**Hello all! Sorry I haven't been updating on the story! I've been busy with school, so yeah....**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. MARK OWNS EVERY CHARACTER, EXCEPT FOR FUTURE OCs THAT WILL BE NAMED SOON.  
**

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A sudden crash startled the 17-year-old girl. Her blonde hair whipped around, as she spun to see the origin of the din.

"**IT'S MINE!**"

"**NO, IT'S MINE!!**"

Shelby sighed. Her siblings were _angels_. Said cynic walked up to her younger siblings, and shouted over their voices.

"OKAY." She exclaimed, causing the younger two to reel back in surprise. "What's going on here?"

"May says that the WWE wrestler action figure is hers. But it's MINE!" Shelby's brother Evan said, tugging said doll from his sister May's hands. She wouldn't let go.

"I bought it, so it's MINE!!!!" May retorted, tugging back at the poor little action figure.

"MINE!"

"MINE!"

Shelby groaned. Did they have to go through this _every _time they bought something new?

"You guys…," she said as patiently as she could. Which wasn't much, mind you. There was a visible vein popping in her skull, and she had the look of utter contempt on her face. Any normal person would have run for the mountains, screaming like a little girl if they'd seen it. Sadly enough, the younger siblings didn't notice.

"You do realize how _extremely _bothersome this is, right? Plus," she added. "You remember what I told you about what happens when there are people who are _bothersome_ in my midst?" Shelby started to twitch.

"Holy crap." Evan said.

"RUN!!!" May exclaimed. The two siblings ran for the hills. Shelby calmed down.

"Shelby! Get down here! Jake wants to see you!" her mother shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Shelby smiled, and ran down. Whenever her friend and trainer Jake came, it meant that she would receive good news.

As she walked towards the kitchen where Jake would be, she recalled all the things that happened whenever he came by. Last time, he had announced that Shelby would compete in the Inter-Continental Taekwondo Competition Pre-Black Belt Division (which she had won). Before that, Jake said that she would be awarded a scholarship in a very prestigious college, for her prowess in taekwondo. Hopefully enough, this visit would be _very _memorable.

"Jake!" she said, running to hug her trainer. Said trainer returned the hug. "Shelby! Haven't seen you in a while. You've changed!"

'_He's right there.' _She thought. Her hair was definitely longer, and she had streaks of blue hair dye stylishly placed in her hair. She was a lot taller than when she last saw Jake (which was long, mind you). Jake changed too. His once short brown hair had grown out somewhat, tied into a short ponytail. He definitely got taller, and Shelby finally saw the once non-existent stubble on his chin. His muscular build hid his brotherly personality.

"I have good news, as usual." He said, smirking. Shelby sat down by the **very **large kitchen table, and he followed suit. "First, however," he said. "We have to call your family."

"Do we have to?" Shelby groaned. He nodded, and Shelby sighed. "Oh fine, you jerk." Shelby walked over to the intercom near their kitchen door. She typed in a seemingly random set of numbers.

"Everyone, come down to the kitchen. Jake says he has something to say to everyone." She said, walking quickly to the table to take a seat.

Suddenly, a distant sound resembling a stampede started. Shelby sighed.

"_Three…Two…O—"_

A giant crowd of people charged towards the kitchen door. The Trinity family charged down the door, and they all scrambled for seats. "What's the news?" Shelby's father asked. "Anything about Shelby's taekwondo prowess?" asked Shelby's older brother, who, sadly enough, had to stand up because of the loss of chairs. Jake's smile got bigger. "It's going to be the best thing that will happen to Shelby for a long time." He said, cueing the family to close in. One of the grandfathers even brought out his hearing aid.

"Shelby…" Everyone moved closer, yearning to hear Jake's words. Suddenly, Jake's cell phone rang. "Hello?" Jake answered, earning annoyed faces from the family.

"JAKE!" They said altogether. "Alright, alright, I was kidding." He said. He faced them (he had turned around when he "answered" his phone), and said, very quickly. "Shelby'sgoingtobepartofBattaladePaz."

The thing was, everyone caught his words.

There was pandemonium in the kitchen. Shelby's parents' mouths fell to the ground, her aunts and uncles whooped for joy, and the rest jumped high, shouting shamelessly. Shelby was speechless.

"You did it sister! You did it!" Evan and May said, dancing around her, former fright forgotten. Jake, hugged her parents, and her parents hugged him back. Shelby still couldn't believe her luck.

When the din drowned down, Jake spoke up. "Shelby had better start packing. She'll be leaving pretty soon, in about a week."

"Who's sponsoring her?" Her mother asked, hugging Shelby lovingly. "The entire training facility and me." Jake replied. Shelby smiled. She always knew that the taekwondo facility in her town always believed in her skills.

"Thanks, Jake." She told him sincerely, after the crowd left to make dinner. "You're welcome. But…" He rummaged through his pants pocket. "Ah, here it is." He said, holding up a small keychain. Shelby looked at him questioningly.

"It's a good luck charm. Whenever I had this around my neck, I always won every battle I faced as a taekwondo junior." He said, placing it in her hands. "It's yours now."

Shelby looked at his face. It was kindly, and sweet. She hugged him. "Thanks Jake." She said once again.

"You're welcome."

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**Awww.....**

**I wasn't really paying attention when I was making this, so this might be utter crap ^^;**

**Constructive critisism is welcomed, flames are not 3**

**r and r plz  
**


	5. Name: Otto Malpense ?

**Wow. I've update already? That was faster than expected. ._.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. MARK WALDEN OWNS ALL. **

**I'm sorry if the chapter's crap, I just felt like I wasn't paying enough attention to this story, so I really wanted to update ^^;**

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"You know your orders." The man hidden in the shadows said. "Find out their weak spots, and give them to me. We have to destroy them soon, or else _he_ will have convinced the world leaders to sign the peace treaty."

The boy kneeling in front of him nodded, an oval shaped onyx mask hiding his face.

"Do not forget, make no connections with anyone else who is competing. Do not forget your code."

"_Connections will break your chances of getting anywhere in life" _The boy thought to himself, remembering one of the codes he lived by for the past twelve years he had been there.

"I expect much from you. You are my best agent after all." The man sighed. "Dismissed."

The young boy stood up, bowing as he left. Behind the mask, he sighed. He was getting tired.

* * *

He had been preparing for this mission for a very long time. In fact, he felt as if this was the only reason why he lived. His purpose, to serve his leader's every whim. In this case, his whim was to destroy _that_ program.

Without his realization, his feet carried him to his room. It was comfortable, at least. It served simply as a room, with a bed, closet, study table and bathroom. Nothing more, nothing less.

The boy plopped down onto his mattress, taking off his onyx mask. He never showed his face to anyone in the organization. His face was slim, a little angular, but still looked very young. He had dull blue eyes, which were usually hidden under a black visor on his mask. The only thing that stood out was his hair. It was pure white, and people in the organization would sometimes joke about it. Sadly enough, the jokes never caught on, seeing as the jokers seemingly disappeared the day after the boy had heard them.

The boy got up from his bed and opened the drawer of his study table. Underneath an arranged pile of books and writing materials, was a small compartment he had built in himself. Unless anyone saw him, no one knew that the secret compartment he had built existed. It contained only one thing that reminded him of his existence before he was pulled into the organization. It was a small pendant, a half of a whole. It was the black half of the Yin and Yang sign. Where he got it, he had no idea whatsoever. All he knew was that the name engraved on the back was probably his own.

The name _Otto Malpense_ was scratched on to the back roughly. Otto knew that he had no memories of his short life before the Organization. All he knew was that he was taken there after his parents died when he was five years old. He had his suspicions on why, but he could never confirm them.

Otto sighed openly. He gently placed the pendant back inside the drawer, closing it. Just a second afterwards, something buzzed on his belt.

"_Number One wants says to fix your things. You'll be leaving soon." _Said an anonymous voice. Otto nodded to no one in particular, taking out a stroller bag.

* * *

Otto sighed. His room had been cleared, or rather, rearranged. Nothing much had changed in the scenery, except for the fact that felt emptier that usual. He dragged his bag outside his room. He returned to the room, gave it one last sweeping look, his eyes landing on his dresser. Otto instinctively grabbed the pendant resting on his chest and sighed.

"_Maybe I'll find out about myself this time…"_

With his mask on, Otto headed towards the main room where Number One would be waiting. While walking, he recalled his promise to himself. _"Find out about yourself. Who are you? What are you?"_

* * *

"Get ready." Number One said. "You'll be leaving in and hour. You'll have to wear civilian clothes, so as not to attract suspicion." Number One frowned at the prospect of his agent wearing civilian clothes. Usually, agents who wore those without permission were singled out as juniors. He didn't think his agent was deserving of that.

"Yes sir." The young boy replied monotonously.

"Good. Bring only the essentials. Your _special _armaments will be sent to you afterwards."

"Yes sir."

"You will be under the codename Otto Malpense."

Otto's eyes widened behind his mask.

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed. Oh—" he said, before the agent had left.

"I hope you'll live."

".....I hope I do too, sir." Otto replied, and for the first time, smirking behind his mask.

Otto turned around, and touched the cheek of his mask. _What was that?_

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**Sooo, yeah. It must be crap ._.**

**R and R plz!  
**


	6. Perfect Conditions

**Yay! I updated again!**

**I made this one almost right after the chapter before, because I felt inspired to write for this story, so I'm pretty confident in this chapter ;D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. THE ONLY THINGS THAT I OWN IN THIS STORY ARE THE UPCOMING OCs AND THE IDEA OF THE STORY. NOTHING ELSE. MARK WALDEN OWNS ALL.

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Wing had only been to the big city thrice in his entire life. Twice, he was impressed and awed by the infrastructures and modern cars that passed by their old one. Once, he had been disgusted. The pollution that was widespread in the city was horrifying. Heaps of trash in the slums, and rivers filled with dead fish and muddy water. Besides those, he was still stirred by the wonders of the mechanical world.

This, however, was the only time he visited an international airport.

Wing's mouth was slightly agape at the sliding doors and activity in the entrance. What awed him more, was the fact that almost five hundred people came to see him off.

People of great sizes and shapes came to see him off at the airport. Kids were waving him good-bye, and good luck, while parents smiled at him proudly.

His parents were proud.

"To think, _our _child was chosen for Battala de Paz!" His mother said to herself, booming with pride. His father was too happy for words.

Once, they had passed through security (that being strangely lifted; maybe it was the fact he was currently special?) Wing looked at the giant airplanes that were outside the glass windows. He had the sudden urge to run to them and stare. They were HUGE.

Planes of every shape and size were lined up outside the glass window. There was one of Cathay Pacific, Northwest Airlines, and a lot more. From afar, he could see passengers boarding different planes. People of every race rushed by, chasing their flights. The planes were being loaded with baggage , and others took off. Wing saw a large plane, that looked fancy, and seemed to be for the extremely rich. Was that his plane?

"That's not your plane son." His father told him. Wing cocked an eyebrow inquisitively. "_That _is." He told him, pointing to a window near them.

This time, Wing really did run to the window. His plane was bigger than any of the other planes there. They seemed miniscule compared to it.

The logo of Battala de Paz was emblazoned onto the tail of the airplane. The plane must have been able to seat at least a thousand! Either that, or there were amenities in that plane that caused the size.

Wing's mouth was agape. He had never seen anything like it. He turned to his parents, and he slightly frowned. They seemed so happy, but tears were in their eyes. Wing suddenly realized that he would be gone for a _very_ long time.

"Good luck." His father said, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder. His mother hugged him tightly. "Come home safe, alright?" she said, tears brimming in her eyes. "Thanks mom." He said embarrassedly. She straightened up, and cuddled hi father. Wing smiled happily. "I'll bring home the honor!" he told them, running to the boarding gate. "I'll win the tournament!"

* * *

Wing saw his parents off, and entered the boarding gate. Running through the last minute reminders his trainer Lao gave him, he straightened his face.

"_Your opponents will be looking for a novice to insult. Do not show them your excitement, for they will think that you're a child." Lao told him. Wing nodded, straightening his face. _

"_The competitors will be more powerful than you think." He said. "They are representing their __**entire**__ country, Wing. And so will you." The last phrase was said quite proudly._

"_Do us good, Wing. We're all counting on you," Lao told him. Wing nodded. Lao smiled thoughtfully, and told him, "However, the tournament was also created to make peace between countries, so you can get close with others there."_

"_Lao…" Wing couldn't finish his sentence. Lao raised his eyebrow questioningly. Caught unaware, Wing hugged him._

"_Thank you, Lao." He said earnestly. Wing swore he heard a slight sniffle, before his trainer met his eyes. There were no tears, only fiery confidence._

"_You're welcome, Wing."

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_

When Wing entered the airplane, he was slightly taken aback. There must have been at least six hundred people there, counting the airplane crew. Four competitors each were gathered around a round, intricately carved table, which was currently being used for lunch. As far as Wing could see, there were bathrooms with grand shower rooms and Jacuzzis for five people each. A bar was seen on one end of the plane, and there was a mini-arcade on the other end.

"Please take your seat sir, and lunch will be served shortly." The flight attendant kindly said, ushering him to a seat with three people. It was a subdued group, not seeming to have broken the ice just yet.

"Hello…?" Wing said, as he sat down. A red headed girl, looked at him and smiled. "N-nice to meet you." She said, slightly nervous. "My name is Laura Brand" she told him, a Scottish accent visible. "And you are?"

"My name is Wing Fanchu." He told her, shaking her hand. Another girl, this time blonde (_"Probably American."_ Wing thought) looked up at him.

"I'm Shelby Trinity, it's nice to meet you Wing." She said, shaking his hand too. The last of the group stayed subdued.

He was quite strange. He had white hair, and blank blue eyes. Wing's eyes narrowed, but his look disappeared when the boy looked at him.

"It's nice to meet you…"

"Otto Malpense." He said quickly, his British accent explaining his probable origin. Wings eyes widened visibly, but before he could say anything, a flight attendant came up to them and asked what they wanted to eat.

After they had eaten, (the group wasn't quite as subdued; three of them had started to talk about themselves, while Otto was silent), an announcement rang throughout the plane.

"_Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot Ivy Gonzales speaking. Please fasten your seat belts, whilst the flight attendants will be cleaning your tables and will help you get ready for takeoff. _

_It's a beautiful day in Tokyo, Japan and we will be arriving to our destination in ten hours. Thank you and I hope you'll enjoy your flight."_

Wing's eyes sparkled with excitement, and so did everyone else's (Otto's blank expression didn't change at all). They were finally headed to the Island.

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**8D Wing's a country hick XD**

**Naw, I'm kidding. It's just that he hasn't been to the big city much. He lives somewhere in Japan that's not part of the big city. Maybe Hokkaido? I dunno =P**

**Oh, and the thing about the pollution there, I'm sorry if I offended anyone ^^;. It's just that this is in the **_**future**_**, so yeah, Japan has changed XP**

**Besides that, YES, OTTO IS NOT THE MAIN CHARACTER, AND YES HE WILL BE THE QUIET ONE. Scary. **

**R and R plz =3**


	7. Panels

**Behold, the 7th chapter!**

**And as you can tell, I'm sort of proud of this one, seeing as I was awake when I wrote it 3**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. MARK WALDEN OWNS ALL OF THE CHARACTERS except for any upcoming OCs ^^****  
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Sometime during the flight, Wing woke up to the shaking of Laura.

"One of the flight attendants gave me these, to give to you three." she said, handing him a slightly large touch screen panel. "The lady told me to check if the information on the panel is correct." She smiled. "I'll wake the others up." She said, going to Shelby to shake her awake.

Wing looked down at his touch screen panel. It contained his passport picture (which he inconspicuously covered; he didn't like his picture) and basic to elaborated information about him.

**Name: **Wing Hamazaki-Fanchu

**Age: **17

**Birth Date: **July 27, 2002

**Country/State of Origin: **Hokkaido, Japan

**I.D. Number:** 2019309871

**Height: **6"4

**Weight: **127 lbs.

**Blood Type: **AB

**Specialty: **Naginatajustu

**Weapon/s: **Naginatas (2), Bow Staff (1), Katana (1)

**Trainer: **Lao Uehara

**Sponsor: **Japanese Government

**Misc. Information: **

Experienced rare disease as a young child (though healed); specializes in weapons-handling as well; a family of six, second youngest child; half-Chinese and half-Japanese

He scrolled down using a stylus that came with the panel for the rest of the information that was scarily correct. The people involved in the Island knew almost everything about him, which slightly put Wing off.

Before Wing could continue thinking of the Island, Shelby woke up in a most undignified manner.

Laura had apparently given up on shaking her awake, and simply blew in her ear. It had worked, though Shelby almost jumped out of her chair.

"I didn't paint your hair!" she said dazedly. When she looked around, she reddened, to see that Wing and Laura were laughing.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to regain her composure. "The flight attendant asked me to give these panels for you guys to check. Information panels," Laura added, as Shelby looked at her with a confused look. "Just to check if what they have is correct. I already checked mine."

Wing's eyebrow cocked upwards. "May I see yours?" He asked. Laura seemed reluctant at first, but she gave in and handed him her panel. "Show me yours though." She said, holding out her open hand. Wing handed it to her casually, as he scanned Laura's info panel.

**Name: **Laura Isobel McKenzie-Brand

**Age: **16

**Birth Date: **May 16, 2003

**Country/State of Origin: **Edinburgh, Scotland

**I.D. Number: **2019308886

**Height: **5"8

**Weight: **110 lbs

**Blood Type: **B

**Specialty: **Gunslinger

**Weapon/s: **Spas 15 (1), Colt Python (1), Jimenez JA-380 (2), M9 handgun (2), Browning Hi-Power (2)

**Trainer: **Logan Kirk Adams

**Sponsor: **Logan Kirk Adams

**Misc. Information: **

Highest vote for heir of the Brand Protection Agency, the largest police force in the U.K.; has 40/40 vision; only child

"I've heard of your agency!" Shelby said, peeping over Wing's shoulder. Said person jumped a little, surprised that Shelby shouted in his ear.

"You're family's like, the best police force in the U.K. My parents really wanted to hire some of your men, actually." Shelby said a little embarrassedly. Laura smiled. "Aye, we are the best, no doubt."

"But what do they mean about 'Highest vote for the heir of the Brand Protection Agency?' Is your family something like a monarchy?" Wing asked, facing Laura. She sighed, and took a seat. "Yes, my family is sort of like a monarchy." She started. "Since our family business is _really_ big, we need someone to take the lead once my grandfather dies. He's the current president of the business." She said, seeing the confused looks on their faces. "But ever since he was diagnosed with TB, we had to get someone to take the lead when he dies. I'm the prime candidate," she said proudly. "But some other relatives don't agree because I'm a _girl_." She emphasized the last word in such a way that Wing and Shelby laughed a little. Then they noticed Otto stir a little beside them.

"He's a heavy sleeper, isn't he?" Shelby commented. Wing inwardly agreed. "Either that, or you haven't tried to wake him up yet Brand." Shelby said, looking to Laura.

"I was supposed to," she replied. "But he just seemed so… alive when I was going to give him his info panel. He shows some emotion when he's asleep. I wonder what he dreams about?" she wondered aloud. Wing looked at Otto's face, and nodded.

"He does look more expressive when he is asleep." He said, though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Otto's eyes were scrunched up a little, looking tense. His face looked worried, almost scared, and he seemed to be in a REM sleep.

"I wonder what he dreams about…" Wing echoed, taking a seat beside Otto. He tried to shake him a little, but he wouldn't wake up. When Wing reached out to their white-haired companion, his eyes flew wide open. Otto stood up abruptly, gave a quick sorry, and walked off to the end of the plane.

"Not very sociable, is he?" Shelby said, taking a seat.

"May I see your info panel Shelby?" Wing asked. Shelby almost threw it to him, saying 'whatever'. He caught the thin panel easily and scanned the contraption.

**Name: **Shelby Allison Andrews-Trinity

**Age: **16

**Country/State of Origin: **Los Angeles, U.S.A.

**Birth Date: **April 5, 2003

**I.D. Number:** 2019759356

**Height: **5"9

**Weight: **105 lbs.

**Blood Type: **O

**Specialty: **Taekwondo

**Weapon/s: **--

**Trainer: **Jake Mitchell Evans

**Sponsor: **Galang ng Digmaan Academy of International Martial Arts

**Misc. Information:**

Black belt for six years; is a part-time instructor for the Extreme Class in G.D.A.; is the fourth youngest in a family of eleven (excluding grandparents)

"That's one big family." Wing said, as he handed Laura the tablet. She also scanned the panel. "Wing's got that right. You've got eight siblings?" she asked in surprise. "You'll be surprised at how much time my parents have at night." Shelby replied nonchalantly, as Laura face became a shade redder. Wing raised an eyebrow, and Shelby laughed. "Yeah, I know. They're crazy."

"Och, it must be amazing to have siblings!" Laura said. "What, are you kidding me? It's horrible! You never have any privacy, you _always _have to hare your things with them, you have to take care of everyone, you always get the older siblings hand-me-downs, and you never actually own what you own." Shelby exclaimed. "At least you have siblings." Laura replied irritatedly. "All I have are pretentious cousins who want to take away my ranking in the family business."

Shelby sighed. "That must suck."

"It does."

There was an odd silence between the three of them, when something caught Wing's eye. "Do you think Otto will mind if we look at his info panel?" he asked the two girls, and they shrugged. "He doesn't seem to want to share anything about himself, so—"

"That gives us all the excuses we need to see his panel." Shelby said, grabbing the metal screen.

"Hey! We really should respect Otto's— Let me see." Said Laura, moving closer to Shelby to read the info.

"I feel as is I'm being surrounded by moral-less beings." Wing said to himself, as he inched closer to look.

**Name: **Otto Malpense

**Age: **17

**Birth Date: **?

**Country/State of Origin: **?

**I.D. Number:**2019768458

**Height: **6"2

**Weight: **121 lbs.

**Blood Type: **A

**Specialty: **Capoeira

**Weapon/s: --**

**Trainer: **?

**Sponsor: **Sylph Pharmaceutical Company

**Misc. Information:**

Not much known about him; His sponsor is the largest, most successful Pharmaceutical Company on Earth; an orphan who was taken in my the president of Sylph Pharmaceutical;

"So he's an orphan?" Shelby asked. "Apparently so. No wonder he's not very sociable." Laura said, putting down the info panel. She seemed bothered.

"What is it?" Wing asked. "A few minutes ago, I was arguing with Shelby about being an only child. But now… I feel so lucky just to have parents. It's like a guilt trip, honestly." Laura said. She sighed. There was an awkward silence.

"So… His sponsor is the Sylph Pharmaceutical? That's one big company." Shelby said. "I agree. Their medicines are very impressive." Wing replied. "They must earn a lot of money, seeing as they're an international compa—" Shelby stopped in her tracks, when she grabbed Otto's panel again.

"What is it?" Wing asked, looking over her shoulder. Then he suddenly realized something.

"What's with you two? Cat got your tongue?" Laura asked. Shelby handed her the panel. "Isn't it strange," she started. "That the Island didn't get any info about his birth date or where he's from?"

"Yeah, I guess. If he was adopted, he should have been a given the nationality of where he was found, or at least, his adopted parent's nationality, right?" Laura asked. "I think so." Wing said. There was yet another silence, where Shelby put away the panel, and Otto came back.

"That was a long bathroom break." Shelby joked. Otto gave no answer, and Shelby frowned. "I was just kidding…," she said, but he completely ignored her.

"Jerk." She whispered to herself.

"Hey… Otto?" Laura said, trying to catch his eye. "A flight attendant came to give us our info panels, to see if the info was correct. Can… Here's yours." She said nervously, handing him the flat metal mechanism. Otto nodded, and got it from her.

After a short time of silence, a flight attendant came to them to take back the panels.

"Oh, and all of you will want to get ready. We'll be arriving to our destination very soon." She said with a smile. Wing felt a tingling feeling on the back of his neck. He was excited. Laura smiled and Shelby punched the air. "Yes!" she exclaimed. Wing wanted to do that too.

An announcement rang through the airplane.

"_Hello all, this is Ivy Gonzales again, your pilot for today's trip. We will be arriving to the Island in about eight minutes, so please ready your carry-on luggage; all other bags will be received at the airport. Fasten your seatbelts as we touch down on the Island. Thank You, and I hope you've had a good trip, this is Ivy Gonzales once again, thank you, and good day."_

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**D**

**Read and Review please!  
**


	8. Darkdoom

**Hello my little reader bunnies! Yes, it is time for your demise, for the next chapter is here!**

**If you've been waiting for this chapter, FORGIVE ME!!! The Internet cockroaches were at it again, and they broke off the connection of the internet in my dwelling. BUT DO NOT WORRY, FORSOOTH, I AM BACK 8D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.**

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"Finally!" Shelby exclaimed, as the humongous airplane touched down on the Island. Their luggage was to be collected at the private airport the landed in, and their baggage was at hand. An in-flight check took place before they could leave, which gave Shelby enough time to build up her energy.

Seeing as they were close to the cockpit, they were one of the first to exit. That was lucky, seeing as Shelby looked as if she was going to burst with all the pent up energy she gathered. Wing honestly felt the same. Laura giggled a little, as she saw the expression on Wing's face, as if he was trying to cover up the excitement on his face. Otto was the same as ever, his emotionless face unnerving.

Rounds of 'Thank you, we hope you enjoyed your flight' echoed throughout the plane, as contestants passed by the flight attendants. Shelby was not the only person who was bursting with excitement. Many of the other players were grinning, or at least shaking with anticipation.

Most of the people on board got off by the time Wing, Laura, Shelby, and Otto got their baggage. Laura's suitcase was easily the biggest in their lot; it was probably filled with her guns and extra ammo. Wing's bag contested with Laura's; only an inch difference separated the bags. Shelby's bag reached up to her upper thigh, as most of the things inside were clothes. Otto's bag was easily the smallest. It only reached his knee, but its thickness compensated for the size. It was still small though.

"What do you think the lectern is for?" Laura asked, pointing to the marble platform just ahead of them.

"What else? Obviously someone's going to announce something to the contestants." Otto said blankly. Laura's rising indignation was replaced with utter surprise. Those were the most things he had said in the past twelve hours.

Before she could say anything, however, guards announced that the contestants were to gather in front of the lectern. There was a flurry of pushing and bag grabbing, as everyone moved to the front of the lectern. A sudden silence ran through the airport, as someone came to the platform.

"If I may have your attention," he said in a loud voice. Everyone hushed up, looking up at the man. "My name is Doctor Maximilian Nero, and I am the developer of _Battala de Paz_."

At these words, some started whispering, while others stared hard at Maximilian Nero. That was the man who started the program, and created a revolutionary peace action between nations. That was the man who everyone deemed a hero. That was the man who had the public vote for Nobel Peace Prize Winn—

"Hey Wing." Laura said, waving her hand in front of his face. Apparently, Wing had been staring hard enough to lose track of his thoughts. The whispering had stopped, and everyone paid attention to the man on the lectern.

"Sorry, drifted away there for a moment." Wing said, smirking. "Right." Laura said, smiling.

"As you may know, Battala de Paz is a peace movement between most of the nations of the world. This program is to carry the name of peace abound the hearts of the future leaders, namely, the children." Nero said, addressing the group of two hundred. "I hope to meet you again soon, as all of you will be competing to be the winner of this competition." The man stopped, and seemed to flinch. The kind look on his face disappeared for a flicker of a moment, and then it went back to its kid self. No one but Wing, and maybe Otto, seemed to notice.

"Our friendly guides will now bring you to your rooms. In the rooms, there will be computers which will allow you to keep contact with you family, and give you more information about Battala de Paz. Thank you, and good day."

Nero disappeared, as everyone started to talk once more. The guides seem to appear out of nowhere as well, until Wing noticed the doors that opened before Nero's abrupt departure. The guides, clad in navy robes with a gold line running down one side, a pin on their chest bore the symbol of Battala de Paz, also the coat of arms of the Nero family.

Wing approached one of them, a tall, handsome, bald fellow who looked kind hearted, at least. He and Otto seemed to have the same idea. They approached the man, who smiled at the two of them.

"Hello you two, my name in Nigel Darkdoom, how may I help you?" he asked. Otto did not look at the man straight in the eye. Wing took this as a sign that the other did not want to speak (as expected).

"Hi Nigel, I'm Wing, and this is Otto." Wing said, gesturing to himself and the person beside him. "May I know where Otto and I will be staying?" he asked politely.

"Wing Fanchu, and Otto Malpense, I presume." he stated, rather than asking. Wing nodded, however. Nigel Darkdoom referred to a touch screen panel, bearing the Battala de Paz seal.

"You two are in luck, you'll be sharing a room." He replied. Wing's eyebrow cocked upwards, and Otto glanced at Wing. The trio walked off, Wing and Otto bringing their luggage. Wing waved at Shelby and Laura, who were being taken care of by a pretty French lady. The girls waved back.

"If you want, you may ask anything about the program as we walk around." Nigel said to the two boys. The group clambered onto a walkalator, and they slowly progressed along the hall.

"If I'm not intruding," Wing started, and Nigel looked at him. "May we know more about you? I mean, besides your name?"

Nigel smiled. "It's fine, you're not intruding my privacy." The man replied. "To begin, I'm Nigel Darkdoom, and please don't mind the surname." Wing chuckled a little, and Otto gave a hollow smile. "I'm twenty-nine years old, and I'm the head gardener in the entire Island. But of course, I have a bigger responsibility than people think. I handle all the plant life on this very island, supplying food for everyone here as well. It's my job to take care of the vegetables, some chance forests here and there on this island, and of course, challenge rooms, which involve vegetation."

"Excuse me, but what do you mean by 'challenge rooms'?"

"You'll find that out sooner or later." Nigel said. "Don't worry, nothing life threatening, as long as you follow the rules."

There was a small silence between them, which was broken when a plump man walked up to them.

"Nigel, I am needing a full batch of iceberg cabbages for tonight's dinner! Please, after your shift here, transport them as soon as being possible." The man said in a heavy German accent. Nigel sighed, and mock saluted the man.

"Aye aye, Captain Argentblum." Nigel replied. The larger man rushed ahead, not even taking heed of Wing or Otto.

"Who was that?" Otto asked. Wing was caught off guard by the sudden question. As far as Wing was concerned, Otto only spoke twice for the entire trip.

"Oh, that was Heinz Argentblum, our head chef. He is temperamental, that's for sure. Smart-mouth him, and you'll see kitchen knives flying at you, then he'll be on his knees begging for your forgiveness. Some say he's crazy, but I say he's a genius in the kitchen, bless the man." Nigel said. "His son's less moody, but he can still be one pain in the—"

His vein was broken, when he looked ahead. "Looks like our ride's done." He commented. Wing got ready to haul his bag, as did Otto.

"After this, be ready with a strong grip, my friends. It'll be downhill from there, believe me." Nigel said. Wing wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

Once they got off the walkalator, Nigel approached a pod-like thing in front of them. Others gathered in front of them as well, some entering or exiting.

"These transporters are called the Shrouds. They can take you anywhere valid on this island, in a blink of an eye. Their only glitch is their roughness. Our technicians have been trying to solve that all year."

"What do you mean by 'roughness'?" Wing asked, as they entered the Shroud in front of them.

"Just hold on to your bag, the bar, and your life." Nigel said, and Otto's eyebrow cocked once more.

Wing's question was answered, when Nigel dialed in the code of their room.

Wing's reaction would have been a loud, venomous 'shit', but he was too busy trying to hold on to the sidebars of the Shroud. As far as he could tell, they were traveling at about 100 miles per hour, though he was sure it was more. As quick as it started it stopped; Nigel wasn't the least bit affected. Otto, however, took the same shock as Wing. His face actually had a hint of expression, surprise. His hair was a little mussed, and he was on the floor.

"Sorry about that." Nigel said apologetically. "_That's _the hitch I was talking about. But it's the only public transportation around that Island that takes less than two minutes." Nigel lifted Otto up, who still seemed dizzy from the ride. When they walked out, others also seemed to have experienced the roughness of the Shroud, one of them even ran to an open window and puked. Wing inwardly laughed; it was Shelby.

Said girl looked up from the window, and saw the two boys coming from the Shroud. She glared, though her indignation disappeared when she noticed the size of the place they were in.

"Whoa." She said, her head swiveling on her neck. Wing looked around as well; the place was huge!

"This," the French lady said. "Is the Accommodation Area. The accommodation area is equipped with 120 rooms, private and public baths, and a fully equipped entertainment area and library."

At the word 'library', Otto's eyes lit up. Wing looked at him, and smiled a little.

"Outside the area is the official garden of the Island. It is eight acres long and wide. If you ever get lost there, just follow the arrows on the walls." She said. "If you want to train for the upcoming competitions, training areas are spread throughout the school, and can be visited with the Shrouds."

Shelby winced a little at those words, and Laura laughed lightly.

Afterwards, the girls and the boys separated, Otto, Wing, and Nigel heading to the west end of the Accommodation Area. After a short elevator ride, they found themselves in a corridor of twenty or so rooms. They walked down, and stopped in front of Room 87.

All of the doors were mahogany, and had the room number in gold. When they entered, they noticed that the room inside was cozy, if a tiny bit cramped. With a light apricot color on the walls, the beds on each side of the room were separated by a bathroom for two. On the left and right walls were PCs, with a mahogany dresser beside. A large window on one side lit up the room, giving the room an all around comforting feeling.

"This is… nice. Thanks Nigel." Wing said. Nigel smiled. "Glad to help. If you have any questions, just check out the info on the PCs." He said, gesturing to the computers on both sides. "See you soon." He said, and he closed the door behind him.

Wing dragged his bag to one of the beds, and plopped down onto it. The bed was soft at least, and in all ways, it felt comfy. Otto still stood by the door.

"Come on Otto!" Wing said. "Don't tell me you've got a stick up your—never mind."

Otto sighed, and pulled his bag to the other bed, near the window. He sat on the bed, looking a little uncomfortable. Wing seemed to notice, for he approached him and sat down beside him.

"Listen," he started. "We didn't have a good start, or rather; we didn't really start at all. So I'll introduce myself, and you'll introduce yourself. There'll be no choice anyways; we're going to be room mates for a few months at least. Is that all right?"

Otto looked to him, and nodded.

"Hey there, I'm Wing Fanchu. I'm from Japan, and my specialty is Naginatajustu. I enjoy training from time to time, hanging out a little, and of course, making friends here and there. How about you?"

Otto sighed. "My name is Otto Malpense. I'm technically an orphan, though now with a 'family', and my specialty is Capoeira. I'm pretty much your polar opposite; I like reading, and I'm pretty much an introvert."

Wing grinned. "Well, as they say, opposites attract, so I think we'll be fine." He said, extending a hand. Otto looked from the hand to Wing's face, and smiled a little as well. "You're so gullible, but quite interesting." Wing raised his eyebrow, and then laughed a little. Otto chuckled as well, and Wing smiled.

"What?" Otto asked. "Your laugh is pretty nice; why don't you talk or laugh often?"

Otto shrugged. "Don't really know; force of habit, honestly."

Wing cocked his head to the side. "If you say so."

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**8D**

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	9. Good Morning

**So.... Yeah. I've probably been gone for the past two to three weeks because of school. Yes. The form of torture the government pulls on us chidders to limit our use of imagination, fun, and completely disintegrate our hopes and dreams into fine hills of dust.**

**And I caught a cold.**

**So.... Yeah.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING  
**

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The next day, Wing woke up to an empty bed beside him. As he rubbed his eyes, he picked up a short note on Otto's bed.

_Library._

Wing laughed a little; he expected as much. He bathed quickly, and when he exited his room, Shelby and Laura met up with him.

"So then, where's Silent Snowy?" Shelby asked jokingly. "He's in the library, apparently." Wing replied.

"Why don't we visit him then?" Laura suggested, and the other two nodded.

As they walked across the vast structure of the Accommodation Area, their heads swiveled at its grandiosity. They passed by teenagers of their age, who also seemed amazed by The Island like them. Suddenly, Laura had a strange, faraway look on her face.

"What is it?" Wing asked, looking at her curiously. Shelby caught wind of the conversation, and turned to her as well. "It's just…. I'm just wondering how this place has been functioning for these years. I mean," she added. "Sure, the countries pay a lot to send their representatives, but honestly, that can't be enough to run this massive place."

"They must know how to handle their money then." Shelby said. "Either this place is _very _good with money, or Maximilian Nero has been planning this for his entire life, thus prompting him to save up on his money."

Laura was silenced, though she still stared at the grandness of the place.

When they arrived at the library, many people were already there, most of them reading up on The Island. Wing guessed that they were as interested in it as anyone else was. The three of them split up, not really to find Otto; Laura wanted to read up on the place as well, and Shelby tagged along. Wing set off to find Otto in the labyrinthine library.

After a short search, he found Otto in a nook in the rather far part of the library. Wing was rather taken aback when he saw that his friend was going through the entire bookshelf nearby. Otto was intently reading what looked like his thirty-second book, even if Wing knew that Otto had only left the room a few hours before he woke up. Otto didn't notice Wing's arrival, nor did he notice the fact that his own stomach was rumbling.

"Hey, Otto." Wing said, though the other boy didn't seem to notice, too engrossed in a particularly thick book he was almost done reading. The book looked quite old; its spine was reduced to threadbare, and the pages were yellowing and the letters were fading. Still, Otto was so very keen on reading the thing.

Wing snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face, catching his attention. Otto wasn't surprised or anything; he kept a straight face when he snapped from his concentration. "Oh, hello there Wing." He said, putting own the thick book. The title page faced them, though Wing could only barely read its title.

"What's this about?" Wing asked, picking the ancient thing up. "Oh, it's nothing really. It's just an old history book." Otto replied.

"The Bloodred Midnight War?!" Wing said, sounding shocked. Otto gave him a meaningful look. "I just wanted to know some details on the War." He said. "This place was created _because _of it. Right?"

"R-right…" Wing said nervously. The War took a lot from the world, even himself.

Still, Otto seemed unaware of the shock on Wing's face, as he stuffed the book back in a shelf. "Shall we eat?" he asked calmly, though Wing could tell that Otto was hungrier than he thought. His stomach was rumbling like a lion.

"Sure." Wing replied. They exited the library, and once again met up with the two girls.

"So then, are we going to eat yet? I'm starving!" Shelby said, and Laura giggled. "Oh really now? I remember that you ate five servings for dinner yesterday."

"Well, with a big family, I don't really eat that much. But now, I'm taking the advantage." Shelby retorted. "Whatever you say… though I still don't understand how you're keeping yourself so thin while stuffing yourself." Laura said.

"Natural-born talent." Shelby replied.

Like yesterday, the four of them walked to the Dining Hall, which, sadly enough, was a Shroud ride away from the Accommodation Area. When Shelby found that out the day before, she groaned audibly, as did Laura. Wing kept a relatively (keyword 'relatively') straight face, while Otto twitched. They rode together, landing in an undignified heap. Luckily enough, they weren't embarrassed, as many other competitors were the same.

When they arrived to the Dining Hall, the four of them rushed out of the Shroud they were in. They lined up for their food, Wing spotting Nigel talking with a rather bulky person around his age.

"Nigel!" Wing called out, calling the man's attention, Nigel waved back. The man who was talking to him smiled cheerfully, and waved as well. "I'm guessing that's the son of Heinz Argentblum." Otto commented. Wing nodded. "I suppose so."

As the line budged up a little, Wing took the time to take in his surroundings. A lot more people were in the competition, more than he had expected. There were at least a hundred tables, each for six people. That was more than enough for the quota of two hundred. Wing noticed a grand table at the front of the hall, where Nero sat along with a few people he did not recognize. Wing surmised that they were the instructors, or rather, field marshals for the games. They certainly seemed fit in a certain category.

The four of them sat at a table, Laura poking at her food uneasily. "What's wrong?" Wing asked. Laura smiled back anxiously. "Just queasy, I suppose. I mean, after this breakfast, we'll have the first competition, right?"

This was news to Wing. He hadn't checked up on the schedule on the Island, so he was rather disoriented still.

"I honestly hope that it won't be me." Laura said, poking her food once more. There was an awkward silence, until Otto reassured her, something no one expected him to do. "Don't worry." He said. "They'll be giving the fighters a head start with their battle, and larger countries will be pitched first." When he realized what he said, he blushed scarlet, and started poking his food hastily. Even if it wasn't much, the three were surprised at his words. They sank back into their quiet stupor.

"May we sit here?" a girl asked, breaking the thick atmosphere. A girl around their age (obviously) stood by their table with long black hair tied in a ponytail, and light caramel skin. Someone looking similar to her stood behind her.

"Go right ahead." Shelby offered, and they sat down.

"Well… hello." Said the girl. "I guess it'd be best if we introduce ourselves."

"Go right ahead." Wing replied, mildly interested with the pair. The girl heaved a breath.

"I'm Maya Teresa Rizali, this is my sister Rosa Bellarmin Rizali, though she'd rather you call her Billie." She said in a clean accent. Or rather, no accent at all. "We're the representatives from the Philippines."

"But why are there two of you?" Otto asked. "Oh, seeing as we're a rather… _detached _country, we had to get two representatives." She replied, digging into what seemed like a cross between a sausage and a… something.

"So are you four going to introduce yourselves?" Billie asked. "Oh, sure." Shelby said. "I'm Shelby Trinity, representative of the U.S."

"I'm Laura Brand, from Scotland." Laura said. "Wing Fanchu, Japan."

The group looked at Otto. He sighed. "Otto Malpense, Britain." He said, almost exhaustedly.

"Right then, now that we've introduced each other―" but before Maya could say exactly what they were going to do, Nero stood up, and the entire hall quieted down.

"In a few hours," he said grandly. "We will officially open the Battala de Paz program. Please finish your breakfasts, return to your rooms, and you will find special clothing for the beginning of the competition, to be worn at the opening ceremony." He smiled at the rather nervous-looking lot.

"Thank you, and let the games begin."

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**Now that I've read the first book of the Hunger Games, I've realized how similar they are O_o**

**Anyways.... Read and Review!  
**


	10. Pretty Handsome

**Well then, hello all!**

**YES, today is an epic day! Why, you ask?**

**Well, today, I was able to update ALL my stories. YES. ALL FOUR.**

**~Do the happy dance~**

**Anyways, as it turns out, I write my best when I have menstruation, so expect updates every month or so!**

**DISCLAIMER: I WON NOTHING BUT MY OCs  
**

* * *

Shelby was literally jumping up and down when Nero's announcement finished. All the competitors filed out, as the other instructors said, and went straight to their rooms. As it turned out, Maya and Billie shared a room near to theirs, so Otto and Wing felt comfortable with the presence of people they knew.

"Whoa."

That was all Wing could say when he spotted his uniform on his bed. It was like a white military uniform, though with no medals, and they had long sleeves. The lining was a stunning scarlet red instead of the usual yellow, to represent Japan. On one of the sleeves, stretching from the cuffs, was a single red streak, like a ray of the sun. The uniform was simple, yet it seemed to have a lasting effect. An impression, of sorts.

"Quite fitting." Otto commented. "Though it may clash with your hair."

"I could say the same for you, my friend." Wing said, pointing to outfit the Otto had in his hands. It was the polar opposite of his, at least color-wise. The suit was a dark blue, this time with white lining. The sleeves most likely reached to just below his elbow, and a blood-red cravat went along with the ensemble.

"I'd rather look like a pint of Guinness than an upturned panda." Otto retaliated, and Wing laughed. Otto couldn't help but to laugh along.

"Alright then." Wing said. "Let's put these on, and save ourselves the embarrassment of wearing the gaudy clothes we have on right now."

* * *

Wing was right: the suit Otto wore rather clashed with his hair. Though in a nice way. Like Wing's, it, or rather, Otto himself made a lasting impression.

As for Wing, Otto could say just the same. They both emitted a sort of aura that was welcoming in a way that was still quite competitive.

That was a good cover for him.

Speaking of which, Otto's mind switched to undercover mode, when he and Wing had put on their clothes. He himself knew that he was pushing his own boundaries a little far. Number One ordered him not to make any ties with any person in the Island. And what was he doing?

Doing the exact opposite of his orders, that's what.

However, he could still use the excuse that he was _seemingly_ making bonds so as to gain information.

But Otto had another mission. A mission he put on himself.

He was to find out about his past. Fast.

The time he would spend on the Island would be the longest he had outside the organization. He only had half a year (or less, if he had reported enough information to Number One and his superior had taken down Maximilian Nero) to find out as much as he could about his life before he was carted off from God-knows-where.

And if he was right, Wing may have had an idea of his musings.

If his suspicions were right, Otto guessed that Wing knew something of his past. Because of his reaction when he saw him on the plane.

It was shock.

A shock a person would have, as if he'd seen a ghost.

Otto had to know. Soon, as well.

* * *

"So how do I look?" Laura asked, twirling her dress around in front of the boys.

"Very attractive." Otto said dismissively, though Laura still blushed.

"Th-thank you." She said, reddening furiously. Her dress really was nice though. The dress itself was made of a soft, flowy, bright blue material. White sashes wrapped around her chest waist, forming an X, making the lower part twirl a lot. A red rose was gracefully placed in her short hair, setting a nice aura on Laura.

"Well then boys, how about me?" Shelby asked, stepping up. "Very impressive as well." Wing replied, and Shelby smirked. Her dress, this time, was mostly white. It was a U-cut dress with long red sleeves, and the upper chest was blue. From the waist down, the dress was a dazzling white, and on the rim of the dress were tiny gold stars. It gave her an impressive look for sure, and her letdown hair set the dress off nicely.

"Well then, look like you four are ready." Said Maya, approaching with her sister. They had different dresses on, though they were from the same country. It must have been due to the different cultures of their motherland.

Maya wore a very ornate V-cut blouse, with extremely extraordinary designs that looked tribal. Most likely, these were designs from indigenous tribes from the Philippines. The skirt down looked woven, and the blue-red-yellow-white pattern was very nice looking. A hand-carved headband was placed in her long black hair, making the look very natural.

Her sister seemed like it was from the other side of the world, though there was still a native feel to it. The unique dress was basely a soft blue, though there were yellow suns on each large, puffed up sleeve. The modernized Filipiniana dress was made into a two-piece, though the distinction between the two parts was barely perceptible. The lower part of the dress was still blue, yet there was a thin see through cloth on top, which was red. They were both as beautiful as Laura and Shelby, and that was saying so much.

"Well then, I think we're all set to go to the opening ceremony." Billie stated, and they all shivered with anticipation. They all knew what was going to happen there.

The first two competitors.

A voice rang all over the Island, raising the excitement to its boiling point.

_"Will all competitors and guides please head to the Main Hall for the Opening Ceremony. I repeat, will __all competitors and guides please head to the Main Hall for the Opening Ceremony. Thank you._"

* * *

**Well then, I can safely say that this was merely a filler chapter, though I liked it :D**

**Read and Review please!  
**


	11. Let The Games Begin

**Aha. I haven't written here enough T_T**

**Hello again all! As you may (or may not) have noticed, I haven't written in a long time. That's due to school, projects, homework, and OH MY GAWD I'M IN TWO MUSICALS O_O**

**Yeah.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

The six of them headed off to the Main Hall, along with the large bustling crowd. Teens of almost every country walked along the large corridors, clad in their dresses and suits. Wing could almost immediately tell which person was from what country. Some were so easy, since their flag was literally printed on their clothes.

After a short walk, everyone was able to fit in to the large hall. An air of ease passed through the room, as people chatted casually to each other. Some boisterous laughs here, some snips of conversations there. It was if they were all at a party.

As Wing saw all this, someone tapped his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Nigel." He said happily, and the older man smiled. "Nice to see you too, Wing he replied.

"The guides were required to give each competitor an insignia. Of their country." Nigel added, handing him a small red sun. at that moment, Wing noticed the other competitors being surrounded by guides as well. He smiled.

"Thanks Nigel." He said, pinning it onto his vest. Nigel smiled, and scooted back to the sides with the other guides.

When everyone settled down, Maximilian Nero clambered onto the platform, and edged nearer to the microphone.

"Good morning all!" he said cheerfully. "Today is a bright new day, and everyone is at their best. Hopefully enough, all of you had a good breakfast, and are ready to listen to this man ramble for one whole hour."

Everyone laughed at this point. Nero raised a hand, and everyone quieted down.

"Don't worry," he said. "This won't take long."

"As everyone knows, this program, Battala de Paz, began after the Bloodred Midnight War, or rather, the Midnight Massacre." Everyone shuddered. "That horrible war that raged for five years, and yet, the worst of it happened in one night. An entire refugee camp with the population of at least twenty million was massacred by a single army. All those horrible deaths, at midnight. The man in charge of all those terrifying deaths was arrested, and put to death. He'd gone crazy with power and blood by then." There was a nod of agreement that spread all over the room, some bringing grim faces. A number of the participants were relatives of the dead.

"Today, and for the next six months, all of you will battle each other for your country's honor. Not to the death, no. Never. You will only fight for honor. Also, with all our activities, I assure you that you will make friends, creating bonds with countries you may not have expected. This is a program of peace. To replace war. This is Battala de Paz."

As he finished, everyone clapped with a gusto. The speech had a ring of repetitiveness, of former usage, but that didn't mean that it didn't work. Everyone loved it.

Everyone quieted down again, as Nero caught their attention.

"Today, we will have our very first battle. Each fighter is chosen, not randomly, but according to the level of their skills. Each will have an even opponent, of a different country. The first fight will be expected, of course, but the rest will come rather suddenly. The fighters could be anywhere, any time. There is no limit to what could happen. All of the insignias you have been given are actually small alarms. You are required to wear them at all times, no matter what. When they ring, you will have to fight. There will be a five minute waiting time, wherein our precious guides will hand you your weapons. Then, you will have to fight."

"When one of the competitors either falls unconscious, or they concede, we will announce the winner all over the Island. We may also interrupt a fight if it goes too far. Usually, a competitor only fights once, but if it goes to it, they may have to fight more than just once. However, the graceful losers will not leave the Island at once. They will stay for the six months that everyone is staying in. They will make friends with everyone, as I hope."

"There are specialized training areas where everyone can sharpen their abilities at ay given time. There will also be challenge rooms. Each room has a specific terrain where you can train as well. they may vary from small villages to large bustling cities, or even heavy jungles."

There was the quietest of silences, where not even Nero said anything. Suddenly, two piercing beeps came from both sides of the room.

"Let the games begin." He said, smiling.

* * *

Everyone was signaled to back off. Large as the room was everyone still had to squeeze in to the sides, to give the fighters some space. All of the people there had a good view of the fighters, as their information flashed onto the screen.

A tall, lanky boy walked onto the floor, with a twinge of anxiety on his face. According to the screen, he was a sixteen year old boy by the name of Kent Fresco. He held a pair of daggers in his hand, and he had extras in a small pouch bag at his side.

The other competitor was Billie.

"Go Billie!" Maya screamed, and her sister threw a death glare at her. Maya just grinned.

"You're set on embarrassing your sister, aren't you." Otto said, and Maya nodded. "That's what sisters do, after all." She replied.

The five minute waiting time was over; one of them had to take the first step.

That's when Kent disappeared.

"What the?!" exclaimed Shelby. Everyone was confused. However, Wing just smiled.

"He's that fast." He muttered, as a blur appeared right behind Billie. He was going to hit her right in the neck, to knock her out.

That was when she wasn't hit.

Her dodge was nothing special; Billie even looked bored when she did so. She simply moved to the left, and Kent almost fell onto the floor.

"It'd be best if you didn't show your specialties at first." Said Billie. "It'll make you easy to beat."

Kent growled. Billie smirked.

"And it's even worse to show your weak points. It makes you completely open to any attack." She said, and he struck at her wildly.

He missed.

"So he's prone to becoming wild when he's insulted." Wing said. Maya nodded. "Billie's mostly good at observing. She's mostly the reconnaissance type, but she's still very good at fighting." She said, as Billie dodged yet another wild throw.

Kent had started to cool down, standing there in a fighting position. But from the look in his eyes, he was dazed.

Billie disappeared.

Yet another round of "Where did she go?" rang throughout the room. Kent was distracted at this, his head swiveling on his neck.

Billie reappeared, and jabbed her weapon, two rattan sticks, into one of his pressure points. Kent fainted.

There was a small moment of confusion that was broken, when Maya cheered her sister on again.

Everyone cheered for Billie; even she couldn't death-glare all those people. So she just smiled, and went near Maya.

She hit her on the head.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "What was that for?!"

"You know what that was for." Billie replied irritatedly. Before Maya could retort, Kent suddenly stood up, awake, and approached Billie.

There was a short moment of tenseness, until Kent shook her hand.

"You're a good fighter." He said, and Billie smiled. "So are you." She said happily. "You've been the best fighter I've met so far."

At this, Kent suddenly smiled, and as he went back to his friends, there was a lighter flounce in his step.

Maya looked at her sister.

"You lied—"

"Yep."

* * *

**Huh. I have nothing to say.**

**Read and review please!  
**


	12. Courtesy of Nigel

**Haha. Well then, I finally updated! WOOT! Finally. My inspiration came back.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.**

* * *

As everyone left the large assembly area, Wing, Shelby and Laura began to praise Billie for her performance.

Which she hated.

"Honestly guys, you don't have to be so—"

"The way you dodged that Kent guy was so cool! Honestly, if I could move as fast as you could, I would be able to kick any bastard right down!"

"No really, it's no biggie—"

"I wish I could be as calm as you! I always have a twinge of fear when I shoot stuff, I just don't get why you can suppress that!"

"No honestly, I was a little scared—"

"You really were amazing Billie, I can no doubt say that you are truly—"

"GUYS. LISTEN. TO. ME." Billie said, finally exploding. Maya just bounced beside them, waiting for her sister's reaction. Otto just walked alongside Maya.

"I'm not that good, okay? I was caught off guard, I wasn't as fast as I should have been, and I didn't react properly to his first attack! You get it?" she said. Maya sighed.

"You know that it was good to them, sis. Maybe not to you, but comparing yourself to _him_ won't do any good. He's not here." Maya said calmly. "Besides, our training was more… _extensive_ than theirs. It was pretty good, considering."

Wing looked at Maya strangely. He felt a little insulted, and very much curious. Who was _he_? What did she mean by extensive training?

He looked to Otto, who just shrugged.

Before Billie could reply, however, they got to the Shrouds. It would have been best to keep their mouths _shut_ for the moment.

* * *

"They seem to get worse every time."

Shelby ran out of the Shroud, just to get fresh air. Otto was also gasping outside the thing as well. when they got their composure back, they all headed back to their rooms, for a good night's rest.

Wing looked through the website of the Island, and as Otto got out of the bathroom, he noticed something.

"Hey Otto, I do not mean to poke or anything but… where'd you get those scars?" he asked.

"Training." He replied quietly.

"I thought we got over the 'stoic Otto' phase. Just tell me. Come on…" said Wing. Otto sighed.

"Training with my master. Is that better for you?" he rebutted, and suddenly, Wing laughed.

"What?" Otto asked confusedly. "Nothing. You just have a dry sense of humor." His friend replied.

"But… Your master really did give you all those scars? Even that one?" Wing asked, pointing to a long gash from the base of Otto's neck to the left side of his back.

"Y-yes." Otto said. "But that was a long time ago." He added. Wing sighed.

"Ah well. I guess different people have different trainers." Wing muttered. He promptly went to sleep.

After an hour or so, Otto woke up. He sneaked out of his bed, and took a small glance at the sleeping form of his friend, before leaving the room.

Wing's eyes shot open.

* * *

'_This had better go well."_ Otto thought. _'I'm already in deep water with master.'_

He quietly slipped down the corridor, past the many rooms of the sleeping members. He faltered, as a night watch passed by. He hid in the crevice between two of the halls, and the night watch passed in silence.

Otto dared to give a sigh of relief. He pressed onwards to his goal.

His goal was one of the information blocks of the Island. The one that held all the information about the competitors.

Though unnoticed, Wing quickly followed his friend.

Many turns and halls afterwards, Otto reached a dead end.

'_What could he do here?' _Wing wondered. His musing was his mistake, as after a few seconds of not looking, Otto had disappeared.

'_What the hell?!'_ he shouted in his head, going to the blank wall and feeling for something. He couldn't find anything. No bumps, no crevices, no nothing. Wing sighed.

"I guess I'll just go back." He told himself.

* * *

'_Thank god I lost him.'_ Otto thought, as he walked further into the maze-like structure in the wall. He'd found a very, very tiny pinhole in the wall, and shone a very thin laser light into it. The laser, having a specific code embedded into it, opened a small hole in the wall, small enough for a grown man to crawl in. Well, he wasn't fully grown yet, but he was tall enough to have to crouch low into the hole.

Once Otto had lost Wing, he found himself in a large maze, probably to lose any person who would have been able to find that hidden room.

'_Courtesy of Nigel, thank you very much for making my life harder.'_ Otto muttered in his head.

He entered the giant thing, and instantly felt something wrong.

Otto jumped upwards, only to dodge two large, metal spikes from either side of the hedge. He stepped out of the maze, and saw a small metal slat on the side of the hedge.

"Duh." He told himself quietly, and quickly went on disabling the thing.

When Otto entered the maze, he was relatively unbothered. Except for the grueling maze, Otto had no troubles in the middle of the hedge growth.

Finally, after a few minutes comprised of dead ends, forked paths, and crossroads, he got to the very end of the maze: a blank wall.

'_Of course.' _He thought, and passed his fingertips over the wall. He felt his fingers land on a small bump, and the wall opened for him. A large monitor, with a blank blue screen, dominated the room. A keyboard the size of two normal ones lay on the metal table.

Otto rapidly started on hacking the thing; it was almost 2 am. The staff would start waking by then, and according to his informant, someone would check this very room. Otto still had to fix the slat he hacked before. He was running out of time.

He downloaded every file of the computer, including the information on the employees of the Island. Better to be safe than sorry.

After a few tense minutes, everything finally transferred to a thin metal thing. Otto sighed in relief, and headed back to his room.

Wing was thankfully asleep. Otto tiredly clambered onto his bed, looking at the digital clock on the wall. Two o' clock. Perfect.

Otto closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"_I swear, this is safe!"_

_A small boy that looked like Otto ran across a rough terrain, an even smaller boy following him._

"_Are you sure? These rocks don't seem very safe…" the other boy replied. "Did you even ask your parents if we could go here?"_

"_Of course!" lookalike Otto replied._

"_What did they say?"_

"_They said 'NO YOU CAN'T GO THERE'."_

"…"

"_Well at least I asked." Lookalike Otto replied. The other boy sighed. _

"_I don't understand why I hang out with you. I could easily get into trouble because of you." He said_

"_Aww, but you know that you like hanging out with me!"_

"_That's why I don't understand it." The other boy said, then lookalike Otto laughed._

"Wake up Otto."

Wing was shaking him awake, as it was fairly late.

"You should shower already, you have ten minutes before everyone goes to breakfast." He said, and Otto stumbled out of bed, muttering things like 'yes' and 'tired'.

* * *

**Lalala. Otto memory... or is it?**

**FIND OUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER OF BATTALA DE PAZ!**

**....Not really :P **

**Read and Review!  
**


	13. Dummy

**DAH. I updated. WOOH!**

**Anyways... yeah. Haha. Some of the stuff here (the fight scenes and the way they went) might be wrong, so correct me, please :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING  
**

* * *

Wing watched Otto quite carefully after what had happened the night before. Strangely enough, it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. Sure, his friend was tired, but that could have been from trouble sleeping. Maybe it had been a dream after all.

'_But it seemed so real.' _Wing thought, as he mindlessly followed his friends to one of the training areas.

"A… racing track? Seriously?"

Wing finally snapped out of his reverie to realize that they were on the edge of a racing track.

"What… what would we need a racing track for?" asked Laura, as she leaned over the metal fence separating them and the tack itself.

Big mistake.

Suddenly, a bright red racecar zoomed past, almost hitting Laura. She shifted back in surprise, and shouted in annoyance as she realized who had almost killed her.

"SHELBY! WHAT THE HELL!" She shouted, and said girl saluted her. Suddenly, she went shotgun on the racecar. As it turned out, it was computer controlled. They saw their friend jump onto the nearby car, and kick the dummy on it.

"So she's training… strange way of doing it though." Said Otto. Laura stared at him, then at Wing. Said Asian just shrugged, and smiled.

After a few minutes, Shelby jumped off the track, and to her friends. She was greeted by a hit on the head.

"What was that for?!" she exclaimed, rubbing her head. "That, my dear, was for almost KILLING me!" Laura shouted. She readied her hand for another hit, but Wing pointed out that they should be training. Laura put her hand down, and everyone followed.

As they were about to train, they saw Billie taking a water break. They noticed that her eyes kept flitting across the room, and that she kept her mouth on the mouth of the bottle for a long time. She was probably getting information on her sister's competitors. Best to stay out of her sight.

Luckily enough, all the things they needed to train with were behind Billie. The shooting range and the multiple electronic test dummies were all there. They separated, and trained on their own.

* * *

Wing grabbed his naginatas from his sheaths and jumped. Two dummies came from above, acting like actual humans. They looked the part too. Except for the distinct lack of hair, clothes, and a few body parts, they looked like actual people. The synthetic skin bled when slashed deeply. If the red light in the middle of the torso lit up, it meant that the dummy was 'dead', and that you were to try again. There were supposed to be no deaths in Battala de Paz.

The artificial people started attacking Wing. They worked independently. Puppets with no strings.

"No visible strings, anyway." Wing muttered, as he 'knocked out' one of the dummies. Another one of them started throwing phony knives at Wing. He wouldn't have minded the fake knives, except for the fact that looked pretty sharp. He dodged every one of them, letting fall to the ground beside him. He gained his ground again, and another group of mannequins attacked, this time armed with different weapons. Wing noticed another one perched on a high point nearby. The thing had a bow and arrow at hand, already readied.

_This may be challenging._ Wing thought. As the three dummies on the ground attacked, Wing ducked down as two of them hit each other. The third stopped before it hurt itself. He attacked Wing, who used his naginata to fling the rattan stick out of the thing's hand. He head butted the dummy, knocking it out. Wing noticed something fly by his left side. It was an arrow. He looked back to the dummy that was perched high, as it fired another arrow. Wing was nearly hit, only dodging it when he raised the stick to protect himself. He threw said stick at the dummy, making it fall onto the cushioned floor below. It wasn't a big fall, so the thing wasn't 'dead'.

He sighed, and walked to one of the drink tables. He watched his friends do their thing, as he sipped some random energy drink from the many that were set on a large table.

"Nice one."

Wing almost choked on his drink, when Billie walked to him.

"Don't worry. I won't say a word on your skills and things. But you may want to train the left side of your body. It's fairly vulnerable to attack, as you don't guard it as well as your right." She advised. Wing put his drink down.

"You… you won't tell that to Maya, will you." Wing stated. She shook her head.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have. Maya has a strange code of ethics. One of the things on her 'code' is "Only take cheat codes against enemies. Never friends." Since she considers _you_ as a friend, she wouldn't take your weakness against you."

"How about you?" Wing asked. "There is a chance that you will fight again. If you fight me, will you not find your conclusions helpful?"

"That's a very slight chance. Either way, I wouldn't." she said.

"Why?" Wing asked. Billie grinned.

"You remind me of an old friend. That's all I can say." She said. She walked off, leaving Wing to watch his friends.

* * *

Laura grinned. She had a challenge. She was going to use her guns, but all her shots had to be non-lethal. She needn't kill anyone there. It would have been easy, except for the fact that the dummies wouldn't stop moving.

"Hah. This'll be fun." she said to herself. She jumped up to dodge one of the dummies that were charging at her with headhunting axe. She flipped in midair, confusing the dummies as she shot at the handle of the axe. It was no easy feat, as the hand could have moved at any time, probably allowing the bullet to hit. But her shot hit home. The axe flew out of the dummy's hand, giving Laura ample time to knock the dummy out.

She concentrated on the rest of the targets. They were coming at her from different directions. From her direct right, from the northeast side of the area she was in, from her direct left, and from right in front of her. She had to choose the best technique that would knock all of them out.

_Reflect Shot!_ (1) Her mind screamed, and Laura shot at the dummy on the northeast side of the room.

The bullet hit the handle of the spear that the dummy was holding, and the weapon flew out of the thing's hand. The bullet ricocheted off the thick spear handle, and hit the bow and arrow of the dummy on the direct left of Laura. It ricocheted again, this time making Laura duck down as it passed over her and hit the boomerangs of the dummy on her right. The bullet reflected a final time, and hit the handle of the whip of the target in front of her. The thing embedded itself in the weapon.

Before the mannequins could react, Laura grabbed the two boomerangs one of the dummies had dropped, and threw them in different directions. They knocked out all her opponents. She grinned.

"A job well done." She told herself, and skipped off to hand out with Wing, who began watching Shelby's training.

* * *

Shelby grinned. Five of the dummies charged at her, three of them unarmed, the other two wielding weapons like brass knuckles and nunchaku. She took up a formal posture, and grinned quite annoyingly.

"Her grins could annoy her opponent." Laura commented. "I agree. Her smirk could distract anyone." Wing replied.

Shelby ducked down, as two of the weaponless dummies hit each other. As they were dazed, she sent hits to some of their pressure points, 'knocking' the dummies out. The third unarmed dummy attacked her, and she delivered a roundhouse kick to it. The thing fell back, falling on the dummy armed with the brass knuckles.

She faced her other opponent, and delivered an axe kick. It dodged, moving back. Shelby dropped down, and hit the dummy with a palm heel attack. The dummy was hit, and was knocked out. Shelby made sure that the hit was only lethal enough to knock the thing out.

Before she could go to her friends, however, something jumped down from above, and landed on her shoulders.

Yet another mannequin, holding a pair of pakal knives, rode on her back. It was going to strike her when, expectedly, she grinned.

She grabbed the legs of the dummy, and threw them off her shoulders. Instead of standing straight, she followed the falling target, squeezing the air out of its lungs in the process. The dummy fell unconscious, and Shelby headed towards her friends.

"Now let's see what Whitey's got for us." She said, and they watched.

* * *

Otto stood still. Seven dummies, all handling different weapons, surrounded him. With daggers. Whips. Sticks. One even held a small axe.

Otto inwardly grinned. This would be easier than he thought.

They all charged at the same time, weapons unsheathed. He jumped up, doing a flip in midair, and landed outside the circle of mannequins. They came in twos. Luckily enough for Otto, that was easy enough.

The first one sent a straight lunge to the chest with its knife. Otto crouched down, sweeping his foot smoothly. The thing fell down, and before it landed on Otto's leg, he cartwheeled back up, hitting the other dummy's head in the process. The thing was knocked out, and its partner was dazed.

The next two charged simultaneously, hoping to take Otto down in a swift strike. Otto back flipped onto the two dummies, landing on the two backs. He knocked them out, jumping off them before they fell down.

Another two of them attacked from two directions. One of them jumped upwards, attacking from the top, and the other tried to sweep Otto off his feet. Otto jumped slightly, only to dodge the sliding body of the dummy. As the thing slid off, the dummy from the top was dodged when Otto moved to the right. Before it could land properly, Otto did the Chun Lee kick, hitting it, as it was airborne. The dummy fell unconscious.

The last two (the one that slid across the floor joined the other dummy) attacked Otto from two sides again, this time from the left and the right. Otto simply ducked down, and the two dummies kicked each other.

Applause automatically came from the three onlookers on the side, as Otto approached them.

"Ve-ery impressive." Said Shelby, throwing him a towel. Otto rubbed his face with it.

"Your fight looked like some crazy dance. It was amazing!" Laura added. Otto nodded in thanks.

Wing just handed him a bottle of water. Otto thanked him, and they watched the other participants practice.

"Look over there! It's Maya." Said Wing, pointing to the far end of the training center. They went over, wanting to see what Maya was doing.

* * *

She was grinning, like Shelby and Laura had been.

She was currently being attacked from all sides. Left, right, above and below. All of the dummies were armed. She jumped, somehow dodging all the attacks. She rolled away from them. Wing, Otto, Laura and Shelby noticed that she had no weapons.

Maya looked to them, and waved. One of the clones was coming her way, when she suddenly struck it with her elbow. Assuming that she hit a vital point, the four of them knew the dummy was unconscious.

Maya quickly grabbed the two wooden staffs in the dummy's hands, and pressed onwards to her other three opponents.

Suddenly, the four of them noticed a glint between Maya's fingers, and saw three claw-like blades hidden between her fingers. She drew them out, muttering something unheard.

What she muttered were different types of strikes.

"Cinco Teros." She whispered to herself, beating one of the dummies unconscious with her five-strike move. She walked on to the next opponent.

"Abaniko." She said next, whipping one of her staffs in a fanning motion. She hit the head of the dummy, only knocking it out cold. She was about to bring down the last one, when another dummy almost kicked her in the head from above.

Almost.

She dodged it, and the two dummies decided to attack her together. She dropped all her weapons, almost shouting her last attack.

"Gunting." She said, striking the nerves in the arms. The dummies' arms fell limp, and she swooped them onto the floor. They fell with an encouraging 'thump'.

"Nice one!" said Laura, giving Maya a thumbs up. The other girl grinned, and headed to the group of four.

* * *

"I've received the information you sent me a few hours ago."

Otto was in the bathroom, letting the water run into a large bucket to sound as if he were taking a bath. His laptop had the silhouetted face of his master.

"Very substantial. I commend you for all the information you sent me. This could help us find the weak points of the guard staff in the Island." He said. Otto nodded.

"Is that all, sir?" Otto asked.

"Actually… no." the way his master said those words sent shivers down Otto's spine.

"From a few… insiders, I've heard that you've taken a habit to _mingling_. Is that true?" he asked. There was a steely edge to his voice. Otto straightened up. He'd been expecting this.

"Yes sir, but only to single out those who can become a valuable asset to our organization. The people I have been speaking with seem very capable of our organization's standards." Otto replied, hoping that his master would not see through his ruse.

"Also sir, I have taken observation of Nero's _angel_, the one you told me of before." Said Otto. When Nero had flinched during his speech, when they had their first breakfast, and when Kent and Billie had first fought, he noticed a shadow flicker in the background. In Nero's shadow. He had to admit, Raven was very impressive.

"Report to me next time." Number One said. "I have to speak to someone else. But you did a good job retrieving that information." And with that, he disappeared.

Otto sighed, and changed out of his clothes. It was going to be a _very_ long six months.

* * *

**(1) Yep. You guessed right. This was based off that thingy in Black Cat**

**So....**

**READ AND REVIEW!  
**


	14. Mister Fresco

**Hello there! I haven't been the most faithful writer, have I? (sweatdrop) Ah well. Well, here's the latest chapter of Battala de Paz!**

**And before you ask, yes, Kent Fresco is an important character. If you got the clue in the last chapter, then you'd get why he's important.**

**Now, his history!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT MY OCs**

**This is for you, Entente! (blows kiss) (laughs like a maniac) (flails)  
**

* * *

Kent Fresco was a good teenager. He lived with his father and mother, in his quaint French home. Everyday he would wake up, greet the plants on his windowsill, make breakfast for his small family, and wake the others to eat. Then he would head to school, go to the library, go home, and continue a book he'd started.

Four years ago, it changed.

When he'd gone home from the library, he found the rug on the floor was tilted slightly to the side. When he entered the door, some of the vases and pictures were switched around, looking a little messed up. By then, Kent just knew that something was very wrong.

He was only twelve years old when he first set eyes on a mangled, dead body.

His father lay sprawled on the kitchen floor, and by the looks of it, he'd just come home and started some coffee. Instead of the relaxing afternoon, the older man was slit in dozens of places, his eyes were open and lifeless, and crusted blood matted his hair and clothes.

And the coffee had spilled on his blue suit. It was his favorite suit.

Kent didn't even think of screaming back then. He didn't think of crying either. He couldn't think at all. His mind had gone blank. He couldn't concentrate on the dead body in front of him. So instead, he ran up the stairs to find if his suspicions were right.

Yes. His mother was dead and mangled as well.

It could have been a robbery gone wrong. It could have been one of his father's enemy companies. Or maybe it was a crazy drunk man who killed them. Whoever it was, Kent wished that he died screaming for help in the bottomless pits of hell. He hoped that the killer would get none.

Kent cried.

He wailed and cried like a little lost child. In a way, he was. He had no idea what to do. He didn't know what to say. He shouted for his mother and his father to come back, but he knew they wouldn't. At some point, thoughts flowed into his head. _Why don't my neighbors hear me? Why don't I call for help? _But somehow, he just knew that he was alone.

Kent didn't understand. He was a good teenager. He had great grades. He had many good friends. He was cooperative, polite, obedient and caring. He'd never hurt anyone in his entire life. He also knew a few martial art skills, and he was a talented writer.

His father was a successful entrepreneur in his business. The old man was kind, a little hard-headed, but all men were. He was benevolent and open-minded. As was Kent's mother. She was the sweetest person anyone could meet. She was a shy but independent housewife. Occasionally, she would take a job just to donate money to the less fortunate. The three of them were the perfect family. Why couldn't it have stayed that way?

"Nothing is perfect, son."

Kent froze. He didn't dare to move. What if the man behind him was the killer of his parents? Did he come back to finish the job? He had no other living relatives, so did the man want to wipe away the Fresco family?

The man put a warm hand on his shoulder.

"I killed your father, boy. Other men killed your mother. I was ordered to do so." He said. Suddenly, Kent felt strange. A dense, horrible feeling weighed his body down. His eyes widened, his nose flared. His face turned red. Kent bit his lip, trying to put away the strange feeling, but he couldn't.

"That's called hate, young man. Anger._ Colère_. You want revenge against my boss. The men who killed your mother. Me." He said. Kent did feel like he wanted to kill them. He'd never felt such rage before. The feeling welled up in his entire body, even in the corners of his eyes.

So he did what was sensible. He threw his had, aiming for the pressure point in the man's arm. After that, Kent was planning to disable the other limbs of the man's body, and possibly kill him, if necessary.

All his plans went to dust, however, when the man flipped him over and knocked the air out of him.

"Your skills are still very raw, but as a twelve year old you're pretty good. You seem to have extensive knowledge of human anatomy, and your control of your attacks is amazing. But," he paused, before letting go of Kent's arm, allowing the boy to fall flat on his back. "You lack _le contrôle de vos émotions_. The control of your emotions"

Kent growled at the man, who laughed. He jumped at the older man, wildly attacking, before being punched in the gut.

"If I train you, you could get a chance of killing me. You could even get the chance of killing the men who got your mother, if you get the chance. But you may never, ever kill my boss." He said. "Unless you do. I'd probably be dead by then, but that would be a great feat." He said.

"You want to kill me? Then learn how to. I'm offering you a chance at revenge, as you have nothing else." The man added.

"Do you honestly think I'd want to go near a bastard like you?!" Kent shouted, jumping away from the man, and attacking. He was able to dodge a few counters before landing on the ground again.

"You have no choice, son. You have no living relatives. None of the neighbors witnessed the killing, and my men are in the nearest _commissariat de police_ right now, telling the men there that you violently murdered your parents. They can be convincing when they want to be." The man said, smiling devilishly. Kent froze on the ground.

"So I… I really have no…" he stuttered, biting his lip. He looked close to tears.

"Don't show me that face, you weakling. If you want to kill me, then learn how. Remember that I'm offering you the chance of a lifetime." He said. "Which you may not get, as the police are here."

The man was right. There were the distant sirens of police cars. Kent looked like he was about to cry, before he took the man's extended hand and walked out of the house.

"We'll get your things later. Right now, we need to evacuate the area." He said. Kent just nodded.

He didn't realize that the next four years would be one of the worst.

* * *

**Muahaha. I really should give 'the man' a name. It's getting annyoing to type 'the man' all the time (sighs)**

**Read and Review this filler chapter please!  
**


	15. Bokator, Svebor

**Hello all!**

**So there's going to be a fighting scene here, and as usual, it's going to be crap. So please tell me if there are any mistakes with what I typed, and I'll take it with great grace ;)**

**And I made a few mistakes in the former chapters, I just need to find them and correct then (grins)**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

"GOOD MORNING!"

Otto and Wing groaned, as Shelby and Laura stormed into their room. Since they'd become 'bosom buddies' over the past few days, the two girls had taken a habit to busting into their room in the early morning, just to annoy them.

It wasn't _that_ early. In fact, it was 9:56 am, but usually the two boys woke up late when they could. It looked as though they wouldn't today. Again.

"Please tell me that the building's on fire and that is why you are waking us up." Wing muttered. "Sadly, no, but you two should get up for a new day." Laura said, sounding chipper. Otto growled at the two girls.

"Ooh, and how's Snow White? Feeling a little off-beat today?" Shelby asked, slinging her arm over Otto's neck. He sluggishly removed it, and tried to burrow back under his blanket.

"Aw, Otto looked so cute when he did that! Like a little white mouse!" Laura exclaimed, woobie-ing (1) at the cuteness. He quickly came out from his 'burrow', and hissed like a snake. Wing rubbed his forehead.

"Please, you two, we appreciate your... concern for our punctuality, but Otto isn't a morning person and if you bother him any more he may blow a fuse." He said. The two girls gave a long 'aww', but soon enough they skipped out of the room. Otto sighed, and burrowed under the sheets again.

Wing got up to shower. There was no use in going back to sleep if he was woken up by six o' clock golden girls. He dragged himself to the bathroom, and slammed the door closed.

Otto muttered something about 'big loud bombs', before attempting to go back to sleep. As an agent under Number One's order, he never, if ever, got to have a proper sleeping pattern. However, he was far away as he could be from his boss at the moment, and so he used it to sleep. In fact, Otto himself was amazed at the fact that he had no visible eye bags.

After what felt like five minutes, but was actually twenty, he was woken up by Wing.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You were mumbling in your sleep."

"Really?" asked Otto. "Well, I'm not sure then." He rolled off the other direction, until he fell down, landing in an undignified heap. Wing gave a small chuckle before lending a hand.

"You should bathe already. We still have to eat before anything else." He said. Otto could survive without the 'most important meal of the day'. In fact, he could survive on a tiny ration bar for two weeks without getting sick. But then again, this meal was yet another luxury he wouldn't afford everyday at home.

"Mmphemgtinp." He muttered unintelligibly. Otto unraveled himself from the blanket he curled around his body, before grabbing clothes from his closet and going to the bathroom.

Wing chuckled lightly at the antics of his new friend. At first, Otto seemed like a quiet, unsocial albino, but he'd slowly been revealing himself in the past days. Wing smiled at that. He always seemed to appreciate little things like that.

From under his thin white polo was his necklace. He grabbed the white Yang symbol on his chest and began to slow his breathing. Wing practiced relaxation at the beginning of each day to clear his mind of distractions. However, when he touched the small pendant, memories began flowing into his mind instead of leaving.

Wing remembered his friend who'd given him the thing. When he saw Otto, he was shocked. However, the boy seemed to give no sign of recognition, so he dismissed it as a coincidence that he and his friend looked alike. _But what are the chances of there being an albino who looks like him, and is almost the same age as me? _He wondered.

Wing shook his head as though he were a dog trying to dry itself. He sighed, and went to fixing his hair instead of meditating. He would do that later.

Otto walked out of the bathroom in only a robe and his boxers. He took claim to his dresser, only putting on the rest of his clothes there. Wing raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"The steam from the hot water made the bathroom hotter than a volcano vent." He said. Wing was about to ask how he knew how hot a volcano was, until there was a knock on the door. Wing told whoever it was to come in, and so Maya entered the room.

"Hey you two… why is Otto half naked?" she asked. She didn't have a single hint of a blush. In fact she seemed just questioning.

"The bathroom was too hot." He replied, and she gave a small 'ah'. "Well, you guys should go eat or something, since the menu in the Dining Hall's about to change to lunch." she said, and they both nodded.

"And you aren't disturbed by the half-nakedness?" Otto asked blatantly. "Nope. Where I lived, men were usually half-naked. My brothers never bothered for shirts when the climate was too hot." Maya replied. She closed the door, leaving the two alone again.

"Well, get dressed, then we can eat." Wing said, tying his hair up into his ponytail. Otto nodded, slipping a blue shirt over his head and pinning the flag of UK on it.

* * *

"So early?"

Wing and Otto met up with Shelby and Laura, who were just looking for them. They were about to wake them up again, until they met up with them.

Right when they entered the Dining Hall, however, two persistent rings pierced the noise. The crowds cleared like dust being blown away, leaving a giant empty space in the hall. After five minutes, two girls came out from the two sides of the crowd.

Two large screens popped out from the walls, with the info about the two competitors. Phann Rom, a small and thin Cambodian teen, carried a bamboo staff. According to her bio, she was a sixteen year old Bokator expert. She'd recently received the black krama and, after the Battala de Paz, had decided to pursue the gold krama. She had waist long hair in an intricate braid, and had a nervous smile on her face.

Senka Prodanovic was a tall and well-built girl, with pale white skin. Her hair was bob-cut and a deep brown and she had a wicked smirk on her face. She threateningly waved a small axe around, and a pouch with three knives clacked on her side. In another pouch was a bag of…

"Are those raspberries?" Maya asked when she found the four of them in the crowd. Billie followed.

"Yep. Apparently, Miss Prodanovic adores raspberries and she usually goes through five packs per day." She said. "Nice." Maya said, grinning. "She's also an expert on Svebor, a Serbian martial art which somehow incorporates the major fighting styles." Billie added, smiling.

"May Buddha have mercy on your soul." Rom said timidly, and Senka popped a raspberry in her mouth. "As with you, _ljubljen_." She replied slyly. Rom gulped, and jumped.

About a meter high from the ground, Rom swung her bamboo staff downwards, aiming for Senka's shoulder. She dodged it easily, grabbing her foot and pushing it away from her body. Rom landed on her two feet, letting go of the bamboo staff. She ignored the fallen stick, and took up a ready stance.

Senka moved forward, ready to push the other down to her knees, when Rom quickly pulled out the lengthy hair tie she wore. Her hair stayed behind her ears, so she wasn't distracted when she unfurled the tie and twisted it around her enemy's neck. Senka stopped moving for a few seconds, until her arms wrapped around Rom's and flipped her over.

Rom rolled back to a standing position, and she threw a kick at Senka's neck. She dodged it, but the tip of Rom's foot scraped against her neck. The hit was a pain that seared through the skin. Senka hissed as she grabbed the bleeding area.

She went for the torso again, as the other quickly raised the cloth in her hand. However, she grabbed the hand that was raised, twisted it towards her body then threw it back. Rom was sent flying, landing hard on the floor.

She this time hissed, and when Senka front-rolled to her, she jumped over her and roped her ankle. Pushing it into an awkward ankle, Rom caught her in a twist.

When the girl leaned forward, Senka grabbed her shoulders and flipped her over. Rom lost her grip on the rope, and it stayed on Senka's leg as she flipped off. The moment she stood up, she got a face full of feet, when Senka did a flying kick using both her legs. Rom fell back, and Senka landed safe.

She stood up and uncurled the hair tie off her leg. Rom looked dizzy at first, before she fell unconscious.

"Senka Prodanovic wins this round of Battala de Paz." Nero said from the safety of the grand table. Instead of approaching her new friends, however, Senka approached Rom, who was waking up. She took both her hands, and pulled her up.

"You good?" she asked kindly. Rom nodded.

"That was a good fight. I had much fun." Rom said quietly. Senka nodded, and ate a raspberry. She offered her foe one, and Rom took it with grace.

"And that is one of the true meanings of Battala de Paz." Wing muttered, smiling at the way the two fighters were acting.

* * *

**(1) Woobie: a character you want to give a big hug, wrap in a blanket and feed soup to when he or she suffers so very beautifully (according to tvtropes)**

**Well, it's nighttime, and I'm going to sleep soon, so I don't have much to say ;) G'night!**

**Read and Review please!  
**


	16. A Funny Story

**Hey all!**

**I made some mistakes in the other chapters, so I'll correct them when I can, but I just have to fix this: I mentioned that Wing wore kimonos cause he was sickly, right? Well yeah, that's true. But it won't be mentioned in the flash back, 'kay? ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

"Impressive."

Billie clapped politely, as Wing landed on his two feet, two unconscious training dummies landing beside them. Wing smiled in thanks as he approached Billie, who had a cool bottle of water at hand.

"Who taught you all those skills? I'm impressed by your expertise." Billie said kindly, also drinking a sports drink. Wing raised an eyebrow in suspicion. His friend caught his expression, and burst out laughing.

"How many times must I tell you? I'm not going to use any information against you. Maya has that strict 'No cheating against friends' policy, and I've learned to trust you and your group." She said, still grinning. Wing gave a small smile.

"My trainer, Lao, taught me everything I know. Ever since I was a young child, he tutored me on how to fight with naginatas and other weapons." He replied, happy at the thought of his family and friends.

"And I thought naginatajutsu was for females?" Billie asked inquisitively.

"Well, that is a rather funny story…" Wing said, laughing nervously.

"Well then tell it! I rather like funny stories." Billie said, grinning. Wing sighed, and tilted his head up high.

_A young woman, somewhere in her early twenties, lay crying on her bed while an eight year old girl hugged her tightly. Pacing around them was a handsome man, also in his early twenties. However, the way his eyebrows were crumpled and the way he hunched as he walked made him seem ten times older._

_In the room beside theirs were a professional doctor and his nurse. It took the doctor and the nurse hours to get to the rural home, and as it turned out the situation of their patient was worse than they had imagined. The weak four-year old boy that lay on the futon had been diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis, and there was nothing the doctor could do._

"_We're very sorry." They replied solemnly. "We cannot do anything at this stage. If we transfer him to a proper hospital in his state, he could very well die from stress. Transferring equipment here will take too long and will cost too much. We advise that you just make him as comfortable as possible before the end of next week." The family understood the implications of his statement, as the mother and the sister broke down crying and the father was about to shout when he realized that it would do no good._

"_We are very sorry. Yui." The doctor said, and the nurse lifted the two other women up, guiding them to the bed. As she comforted them, the father led the doctor to the dining room to prepare his things for the long trip home. The doctor stopped in his tracks. He laid a warm hand on the father's shoulder._

"_It would be best if you spent some time with your son. The sickness isn't contagious, so you may stay with him in his room." he said._

"_Mao… I'm so very sorry." The doctor and old friend repeated, and Mao just tightened his fist. He nodded, and Yui came back out, asking for Mao to come back to his wife and child._

_As Mao sat with Mei and Hana, he muttered prayers to anyone that would listen._

'_Please,' he said. 'Let my son live. He has only been on this earth for four years, and he has so much to look forward to. Even if it means facing death in the face, let him live! Send a guardian, a protector! An angel. Just… please… let Wing survive through this ordeal!'_

_The next day, a small ruckus woke the Fanchu family. When Hana looked outside, she saw a moving truck in the far distance._

"_I think another family is moving in." she said, when she returned to her brother's room. _

"_In the old Sato house?" Mao asked._

"_I think so. But the stuff the moving men were carrying out didn't seem Japanese. Maybe they're foreign." Hana added._

"_Maybe. But what foreign family would go out to such a far place like here?" Mei wondered. Her attention went back to Wing, who was waking up. The little boy looked around, before carefully propping himself on his pillows. _

"_Someone is moving in?" he asked with a small voice. "Yes, in the old Sato home." Hana replied, smiling at her younger brother._

"_You mean the old house that's all creepy?" he asked, sounding dubious. His sister nodded enthusiastically, and her brother made a face._

"_Who would want to live there?" he asked, and everyone in the room laughed. Wing joined in, until he started shivering. Mei tucked him into his blanket and Mao stood up._

"_I should get ready for work now." He said. "It'll take a long time to get out of the fields."_

"_I've already got breakfast on the table." Mei replied. "Hana, get you and your brother some food."_

"_Yes mother." She replied, skipping beside her father as he left the room. Mei smiled at her son, as he cuddled his pillow._

"_I'm going to die, aren't I?" he asked calmly. Mei looked at him in shock._

"_Of course not dear! We've already offered prayers, so don't you worry." She said, regaining her composure. Wing looked at her with concern._

"_You don't have to do stuff like that mother. I know what's wrong and I know I'm gonna die soon." He said. Mei smiled at him sadly before holding his cold hand._

"_Don't worry Wing. You're not going to die. I promise." She said sadly. Wing sighed, before Hana entered the room with a tray of food.

* * *

_

"_Who are you?"_

_Wing held up his blanket in defense, when a white haired boy peeked from the window in his room. The boy giggled, before he shouted and a crash resounded from outside._

_Wing gasped, almost falling off the bed, until the white haired boy peeked again. He laughed, even though there was a bruise forming on his head._

"_Who are you?" Wing asked again, looking annoyed. The boy tilted his head to the side, as though not understanding what Wing had said. Then he 'ah'-ed, and he spoke in very rough Japanese._

"_Hajimemashite._ _Watashi no namae wa Otto Malpense. Namae wa nandesuka?" (1) he asked slowly. Wing raised his eyebrow, before replying._

"_I'm Wing Fanchu. What are you standing on?" he asked, looking curiously at the way Otto held himself up on the high window._

"_Old boxes." he replied, grinning deviously. "May I come in?" _

"_Usually people go through the door." Wing said._

"_I know. Anyway, I'm new here, so I don't think I'll be allowed from the front." Otto replied. Wing looked at the boy strangely before telling him to come in._

_Otto grinned, and climbed into the window. He let himself fall onto the floor, making a small 'thump' when he landed._

"_You know, my sister or my mother could come in anytime." He said, before suddenly coughing. Otto stood up, and instead of replying with an 'I know', he asked a short question._

"_Are you sickly too?" he asked. Wing nodded. "Are you?" he then asked, and Otto grinned, nodding._

"_Isn't it obvious?" he said excitedly. Wing looked at him for a moment, before gasping._

"_Yep, it's my hair!" Otto replied happily. "I'm an albey-aldi-albu-er… oh right, an albino!" _

"_What's that?" Wing asked. Otto took a seat beside him, on his bed._

"_I have this weirdo sickness called albinisism, and when I have that stuff my hair turns real white, my eyes become a really cool color and my skin becomes really pale." He replied smartly. Wing 'ooh'-ed._

"_That's cool! It's better than mine, anyway." He said dejectedly. Otto tilted his head to the side._

"_It's called Japanese encephalitis." Wing replied. "Encepho-what?"_

"_Encephalitis." Wing repeated. "And I'm not gonna last very long either."_

"_What! No way!" Otto exclaimed a tad too loudly. Suddenly, footsteps approached the room, and Wing quickly told Otto to get in the closet. The boy rushed in, and the moment the door closed Mei came in._

"_Is something wrong?" she asked, worried. _

"_Uh… the window suddenly swung open and I got surprised." Wing quickly said. Mei sighed in relief, and went to close the window. She kissed him on the forehead. _

"_By the way Wing, the people who moved in? One of them is here right now." She said, smiling. "Mrs. Malpense." Mei left the room, and the very moment she left, Otto left the closet, before whispering what he had shouted before._

"_No way!" he said quietly. "You can't die!"_

"_Why so?" Wing asked._

"_Cause. You're my new best friend." Otto replied, grinning.

* * *

_

"_Oh." Mei said, right after she'd left the room._

"_But the window had to be slid open…" she muttered. She suspected that her son had lied. So as a caring mother, she just _had_ to see what Wing was doing._

"—_you're my new best friend." Said a white haired boy, grinning. She saw her son blush, and then he began smiling too._

_The boy looked much like Mrs. Malpense. Maybe he was her son. The woman did ask if she saw a four year old boy with white hair pass by._

"_Did something happen Mei-san?" Gracia Malpense asked, sounding concerned. She'd also heard the shout from Wing's room._

"_Oh, it's nothing." She said dismissively. "Thought I think I found your son."_

"_Really?" Gracia exclaimed. Mei smiled._

"_Yes. He snuck into my son's room and at this very moment is making friends with him." She replied. Both of the adults rushed to Wing's room, Mei sliding the door slightly so they could see what was happening between the two._

_The two of them were laughing like no tomorrow. Wing's cheeks were reddening with joy. It was as though he was never sick.

* * *

_

_When Mao learned of what had happened, he was overjoyed. The gods had answered his prayer! Soon enough, the Malpense family became good friends with the Fanchu family._

_One day, however, the Malpenses had to leave._

_It had only been a year since they first arrived. Jasper, Gracia's husband had been in London all along, and had been supporting the two of them with his job as a computer designer. However, Jasper told them to come back to London. Gracia was shocked, but she complied._

"_And you're not going to tell Otto that he told you to move, Gracia-san?" Mei asked, when she came over for lunch._

"_No. I don't want him to hate his father more than he does now." Gracia replied, shaking her head. "I have to tell him that I chose to move."_

_Mei looked surprised at the fact that Otto hated his father, but that was probably because of reasons she didn't need to know._

"_I'm really sorry, Mei-san." Gracia said sadly. Mei smiled._

"_Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Wing will understand." She replied._

_However, things didn't go as well as Mei thought. Right after the Malpenses had left, Wing went into depression. No matter how hard they tried, the Fanchu family couldn't get him to be happy. But they all understood. He was a child, and he lost his best friend. Nothing else could replace the year he had with Otto._

_Until Lao came along.

* * *

_

"_Hello there Hana."_

_Wing and Mei came to visit Hana when she was in her naginatajutsu training. The ten year old girl smiled, as she approached her mother and brother. _

"_Is this the family you spoke of, Hana?" _

"_Oh, sensei!" she said, surprised. She bowed low, before introducing them._

"_This is Fanhcu Mei, my mother." She said. "And this is Fanchu Wing, my otōto-kun (2)."_

"_Oh, really?" Lao said. "I thought he was your imōto-chan (3)." _

_Suddenly, Wing's face reddened._

"_I'm not a girl!" he said angrily. Suddenly, everyone in the room froze. Lao stared at Wing for a moment, before laughing boisterously. Wing had a very annoyed look on his face, until Lao stopped laughing and smiled._

"_I like your spirit, boy. How would you like to learn naginatajutsu here?" he asked, sounding serious. Wing pouted._

"_Naginatajutsu is a girl thing, right?" the boy asked. Lao nodded._

"_That is true. As you may have noticed, all the students here are women." He said, and everyone in the room waved. "However, gender is merely a way for people to differentiate themselves. Such a vague concept such as that… it does not exist in the case of protecting someone. You do not have to be male or female to learn a certain martial art. I'm male, and yet I study the art of the naginata." _

"_Is that a challenge?" Wing asked quietly. Lao smiled._

"_You're on old man!"_

"That actually _was_ sort of funny." Billie said, smiling. "But really… you and Otto were childhood friends? Why did he seem so cold to you on the airplane?"

Wing was about to ask how Billie knew about that.

"Me and Maya's table was right beside yours in the plane." She replied bluntly.

"Oh." Wing replied meekly.

"Hey, Wing! Big sis!" Maya called. "Shel wants us to meet in the entertainment room in half an hour. She says she's got something she wants us to do."

"And why would we follow what she says?" Billie asked.

"She's got Otto as a hostage." Maya replied. Billie and Wing raised an eyebrow, before going their own ways. In thirty minutes, they would see what Shelby had planned.

* * *

**(1) How do you do? My name is Otto Malpense. What is your name?**

**(2) "little/younger brother"**

**(3) "little/younger sister"**

**Read and Review please!  
**


	17. Truth or Dare

**Hehe, this is really just a filler chapter :P School started last week, and I really felt as though I had to do _something_, and since this plot had been plaguing my head FOREVER, I had to do it :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.**

**WARNING: TRUTH OR DARE.  
**

* * *

"Why are you forcing me to do this again?"

Otto sat beside Shelby, in one of the many comfy chairs in the entertainment room. Shelby grinned, waving round an empty bottle of sports drink.

"Because, my dear little British friend, it would be great if we got to know the other competitors as well. Isn't that what Battala de Paz is about after all?" she asked dramatically.

"True," Otto said. "But I'm pretty sure you're only doing this for the chance to dare Wing to kiss you."

Shelby pretended to look positively mortified.

"How dare you?" she asked spectacularly. "I wouldn't do such a thing!"

"I saw the way you were looking at him." Otto replied bluntly. Shelby grinned.

"You jealous?" she asked. Otto immediately blushed, looking very flustered.

"I do NOT like Wing that way!" he said angrily. "And I am NOT a ponce! (1)"

"I saw the way you were looking at him." Shelby mimicked, laughing.

"We're roommates! We're supposed to see each other, we have no choice!" Otto exclaimed, reddening furiously. However, Shelby wouldn't stop giggling.

"I was just playing with you Snowy!" she said, snickering. Otto grunted, pushing over Shelby's chair.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, getting off the cushion chair. She was about to attack him, when Laura and Maya came along.

"Are you two done eroticizing?" Maya asked, and Laura snorted.

"I'm good." Shelby said. Otto gave Maya a strange look, before straightening himself up on his chair. Soon enough, Wing and Billie came along as well. Shelby began waving her plastic bottle, and Billie gave her a strange look.

"Truth or Dare? Really?" she asked, immediately catching on. "Isn't that a bit childish?"

"Oh come on, you're never too old to play Truth or Dare!" Shelby whined, already sitting on the floor and laying down the bottle. Laura shrugged, joining her. "A little game can't really hurt." She said, and soon enough, everyone else followed.

"Who else wants to join?" Shelby bellowed, and soon enough a few other people sat down with them.

"We'd like to play." Said a familiar voice. They all turned to see Kent Fresco, along with Phann Rom and Senka Prodanovic. Billie nodded, and they all made space for the newcomers. Kent smiled awkwardly as he sat beside Maya, and Rom and Senka sat beside each other.

Shelby spun the bottle wildly, the thing skidding off to the side. She laughed off her mistake, running for the sports bottle. She spun it again, only to have it fly off again. Soon enough, everyone began laughing. When Shelby returned, she carefully laid the bottle on the ground.

"Third time's the charm." She muttered, spinning the plastic thing. After a few seconds of fast spinning, it slowed down and pointed at Kent. The boy shrugged.

"Truth." He said dismissively. Shelby grinned.

"Who do you think is the hottest person among us nine?" she asked. Kent grinned.

"I'm not saying I'm gay, but to be honest, the white haired kid." He said bluntly. Everyone stared at Otto, who looked embarrassed. Kent began laughing like crazy and soon enough everyone else joined in. Otto just kept blushing.

"I'm just messing with you!" he exclaimed, laughing. "But you are sort of hot. I don't even know your name anyway."

"Otto Malpense." The other said quietly, pushing Wing off-balance when he snorted. Shelby, when she had regained her bearings, spun the bottle again.

"Maya!" she exclaimed, and said girl grinned. "Dare." She replied eagerly.

Shelby put her hand to her chin, as though she were thinking hard on what to make Maya do. Laura beat her to the punch.

"I dare you to switch pants with your sister for the entire game." She said calmly, and Maya cackled. She promptly removed her pants, causing some of the males to avert their eyes. Billie shook her head.

"Pleeeeaaaassseee?" Maya begged. "I'm standing in my panties here!"

"So?" Billie asked. Maya gave her a pleading look, and so Billie gave in. They quickly switched pants. Shelby gave Otto, Wing and Kent the signal to look back. Shelby began spinning again.

It landed on the red-head of their group, who gave a small smile. "Truth." Laura said calmly.

"Is it true that you like Otto?" Wing quickly asked. Laura gave a surprised yelp, and Otto's eyes widened. Laura looked to her left and to her right, but everyone was just waiting for her answer. She nodded inconspicuously.

"Knew it!" Billie exclaimed, holding a hand out to her sister. "Pay up." she said happily, and Maya groaned, taking a bill out of her shirt pocket.

"And I really thought she had it for Shel…" she muttered dejectedly, gaining stares from everyone but her sister. Shelby coughed, and spun the bottle again.

The bottle pointed at Wing. He sighed dramatically, before saying "Truth."

"Everyone chooses Truth." Maya muttered.

"If anyone in this room could be your slave," Shelby started. "Who would it be and what would that person have to do?"

Wing leaned on his hand. He wondered about what he would say.

"Billie." He answered. Everyone stared. "And I would make her gather all the information on the competitors and give them to me." He continued.

"But that was boring!" Kent whined. Shelby raised her eyebrow.

"Are you saying that my questions are boring?" she asked. Kent smirked.

"What if am?" he asked.

"Then you'll get a face full of fist." She said.

"Are you daring me to do better?" Kent asked. Shelby grinned. Laura groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"You're on!" she said, pumping her fist. She spun the bottle again, it pointing at Senka.

"Who from all the girls here is the hottest in your opinion?" Kent asked. Senka broke out into laughter.

"Dude," she said. "I already have a girlfriend!"

Everyone stared. Only Maya spoke up.

"Really?" she asked, disbelieving. Senka grinned, before pulling Rom into a hug. The girl blushed, but she nodded nonetheless. Maya gave a cute "Aww", before everyone awkwardly gave them congratulations.

Shelby spun the bottle again, before it landed on Rom. She gave a small "Dare". It looked as though Maya was about to speak up, when Shelby interrupted her.

"Hey!" Maya exclaimed.

"I dare you to tell us how you and Senka got together." Shelby said, ignoring Maya. The timid girl didn't blush, but she was hesitant in telling the story.

"Well… we were both part of a pen pal program in our schools. In my school we had to pick out a person's name and address, and then we had to e-mail them everyday. By luck I picked Senka's name, and we got closer the more we talked. When our partners were allowed to visit our school, she asked if we could get together. So we did." She said quietly. Once again, Maya "Aww"-ed, and even Laura began to grin.

"That's pretty nice." she said. Shelby grinned at Kent, who rolled his eyes. The bottle began spinning again, and it landed on its owner.

"Shelby!" Otto exclaimed, grinning. Kent also smiled.

"Dare." She said confidently. Kent grinned wider.

"I dare you to kiss the person you thin is hottest in this room. On. The. Lips." he said, and her eyes dilated. Laura and Otto promptly began laughing their asses off, while Wing rolled his eyes. Senka and Rom looked to them, and understood.

Shelby stood up stiffly, and marched to Wing, whom she promptly kissed full out. Kent gave them a funny look, before laughing himself crazy. Otto and Laura proceeded to laugh harder, when they saw the look in Wing's eyes. Senka and Rom began laughing at his expression as well. Shelby returned to her seat, a light blush on her face. Wing's face remained stoic, but the look in his eyes said that he had enjoyed that dare.

Shelby spun the bottle again, and soon enough it landed on Billie.

"Dare." She said calmly.

"I dare you to imitate another person here and have everyone try to guess who you are." Shelby said dazedly. Bille grinned, before standing up. She inhaled and exhaled, before speaking up.

"Like, OMG did you like see the latest stuff on the runway? OMG they were like, sooo jank! Oh-Em-Gee, isn't Justin Bieber like, the hottest? With me and my blonde hair I'll like totally win him over!" she said in a thick accent. Everyone began laughing like crazy, when she had started. The constant hair flipping made them even more raucous.

"I'm not like that!" Shelby said defensively. But she was laughing at the display anyway. She spun the bottle again, and it landed on their resident white-head.

"Dare." He said, challenging the two dare-makers. Kent spoke up.

"I dare you to undress. Down to your undies." He said, grinning evilly. Otto made a weird noise.

"Whaa? So you ARE gay!" he exclaimed, trying to change the subject. Shelby, however, helped her dear partner.

"No, he's merely trying to embarrass you." She replied smartly. "Besides, _some_ people may want to see you almost naked." Shelby gave a pointed stare at Laura, who blushed.

"But—" Otto was interrupted, when a calm voice spoke up.

"If you don't do it, you'll be entitled to an entire day of slavery among the players, and your pride will be marred by that, won't it?" Billie said, also smiling evilly.

"You made that up!" Otto said defensively.

"So?" Billie asked, still grinning. Maya nodded in agreement.

"I can borrow a maid's dress from any of the people in the Island, and you'll have to be slave to eight people if you don't do the dare." She said, a laugh creeping upon her. Otto groaned.

"Fine." He said. "But only for a short while. Then I'll redress."

* * *

"Why is Otto naked?" Nigel wondered, as he took his shift in the entertainment room. He was supposed to assist any of the competitors there; however everyone seemed fine on their own. His favorite duo seemed to have been engaged in a game of Truth and Dare, when he noticed that Otto was almost naked. Nigel shrugged.

"A dare." He muttered to himself, before two annoying rings resounded in the entire room. Right on time too.

* * *

**(1) Ponce is British slang for 'gay'. I think.**

**Read and Review Please!  
**


	18. That German Boy

**Hello? GAH! (Dodges flying jelly)**

**WHAT DID THE JELLY EVER DO TO YOU! D:**

**Well I'M sorry for not being able to update! I've been super busy with school, Artist's Circle, choir, and I got muscle strain in my neck so I have to wear a neck brace D:**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

Nigel watched, as two competitors stepped forward. There was one brunette, a tall boy of seventeen years. He held two police issue baton-like sticks aloft, as though he was going to fly at a single gun shot. According to the information on the big screen, the teen was from Afghanistan. However, Nigel still couldn't identify his specialty.

Facing him was a short and stocky American boy. He held no weapons, but his stance was strong, grounded yet ready to jump at the drop of a hat. He had the physique of a sixteen year old, and this proved true when Nigel looked at the big screen again.

The hat did drop. The Afghan boy moved, quicker than lightning, to strike his opponent. However, the American merely dodged the attack, jumping over his opponent and twisting his body simultaneously. He landed with a light "thump" before grabbing the other's stick. He finally had a weapon. They were evenly matched.

"So, I heard about your loss, Mister Paiman." the American said, a hint of evil in his tone. "Right before you came, you lost your mother... how sad. Looks like you'll not have a mother hug you if you win. Unless your father remarries?"

The boy had hit a nerve. Paiman twitched, though before he did anything major he controlled himself.

"How did you learn of this, Adamson?" he asked, trying to steady his voice. Adamson grinned, twirling the stick mockingly in his hand.

"I have my ways." he said. "Oh, such a sad thing to lose a mother. I haven't lost mine yet though. How did she die? Bombing? Suicide?"

Paiman froze. "It's none of your business!" he screamed, his control breaking. Adamson smirked.

"Ooh, looks like I struck a nerve!" he exclaimed, laughing maniacally. Paiman yelled and ran at his opponent.

Nigel, this time, froze. It was too much. He backed away, before, leaning to the nearest wall. His breathing labored; he remembered what had happened all those years ago...

_Battala de Paz was open for adults then. For those who were sixteen to thirty years old. Nigel was one of the very first representatives for his country. Though, instead of swelling pride, he felt complete and utter remorse._

_His father had just died a few days earlier. He had not been able to bid his son adieu when he left the airport. He had not been able to hug him when he left the house. He hadn't even said goodbye._

_Nigel was left in a haze of depression. He couldn't speak to anyone properly, except maybe for a few stray "yeses" or "nos". _

_He was still depressed when it was his competition. His body acted, but his mind did not. Suddenly, his opponent started saying things. Horrible things._

"_So how's your dad doing underground?" he asked tauntingly. Nigel froze. _

"_Wha-what do you know about that?" he exclaimed. The boy laughed at him._

"_More than you think." the other replied. "How'd he die? Run over? Drunk driving? Kill himself? Honestly, you Brits are so__—__"_

_He never got to say what he was going to say. Nigel screamed like an animal and hurled himself at his opponent. With the boy down Nigel began to punch him, beat him, scratch his skin out. All for his dad._

"_You bastard! What do you know about my father? Nothing! How could you say such things! Fuck you, you asshole!" he screamed, inflicting as much pain as he could on the sinner._

"_Stop!" many of the staff said, trying to knock Nigel out. He kicked them all away, and was about to mutilate his opponent again when, quite suddenly, he felt two large arms wrap around his._

"Don't do this!" a girl screamed from the crowd. Nigel looked up and saw Paiman trying to mutilate the American boy. The girl who had screamed ran to the competitors and grabbed Paiman's arm he whipped around to attack, until he saw the face of his friends. Quite suddenly he calmed down and broke into tears.

"He withdraws." the girl said, hugging him and pulling him away. Nigel had to hold back tears of remorse as he remembered what happened next.

"_Don't hurt him." said a calm voice. Nigel turned around to find a chubby German boy holding his arms down. Nigel screamed again, attacking the other boy next. The staff were about to separate them, when the fat boy told them to stop._

"_He has to let it all go." he said, holding his arms out wide. Nigel took this opportunity to attack him, to strike at the German with every hit expressing remorse, sadness, despair, everything._

_After a while, Nigel stopped. His breathing became heavy and he began to cry. He landed on his knees and broke down._

_The German pulled him up, and announced that Nigel would withdraw. He pulled him away from the arena._

"_Why did you do that?" Nigel asked. He eyed all the bruises, the cuts, everything._

"_Because you were in need of it." he replied calmly. "Besides, I was trained to withstand pain."_

"_But I don't even know you." Nigel countered. _

_The German smiled. "I'm Franz Argentblum. Now that you know me, we can be friends."_

Nigel felt as though he could never repay that German boy. No matter how irritating he was, Franz was, truly, his closest friend.

"You lost in thought?"

Nigel almost jumped. Right beside him was the girl he knew to be Rosa Bellarmin. Though everyone referred to her as Billie.

"No." Nigel said. He reconsidered. "Maybe. Yes."

"Well that's good." Billie said. Nigel cocked an eyebrow. She grinned.

"Better you have something in your brain than nothing at all." she said. Nigel smiled.

"Point taken."

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	19. Billionaires and Jazz, Karaoke Part One!

**Hiya all! *Giggles uncontrollably***

**Otto: What's wrong with her now?**

**Wing: *Shrug* Maybe she has overdosed on chocolates this time?**

**Me: *Giggles***

**Otto: O_o Right... Weird.**

**Me: *Hits Otto on the head with a baseball bat***

**Otto: WHAT WAS THAT FOR!**

**Me: Your idiocy. Chriiiissss Colllfffeeerrrrrr~ *Drools***

**Otto and Wing: O_e**

**This chapter is a SONG CHAPTER! KARAOKE TIME! :D So yeah, the songs are "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars, and "Le Jazz Hot" from _Victor/Victoria_, by Julie Andrews, cover by Chris Colfer (KUUUUURRRRTTTTT!) from Glee 2 (The song from the show, by the way, not the full one).**

**Lyrics are from metrolyrics-dot-com and artists-dot-letssingit-dot-com.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

"COME ON! LET'S GO!"

Again, to Otto's luck, Shelby had a _very_ smart idea and thought of dragging short white and grumpy in it. There had been fliers posted on each door of the accommodation area about a karaoke event that was going to take place that very night. Anyone and everyone was allowed to come, from the competitors to the employees in the Island. There were some rumors that even Maximilian Nero was coming to watch.

A few of the more daring competitors agreed to coming right away, intending to sing, but the rest were a bit hesitant, until they convinced each other to come along. Most of them were just going for the drinks and entertainment. Shelby, who found this yet another good time to "get to know the other competitors." Otto knew she actually wanted to laugh at all her friends who would be pressured to sing on stage, and maybe sing herself.

So, due to Shelby's _persuading skills_, everyone who was involved in the truth or dare game was dragged to the event. Maya and Billie seemed wholly willing, but everyone else had to be dragged, quite literally, to one of the tables near the brightly lit stage. Otto could see that in front of the stage were two screens that would possibly feed lyrics to the singer.

Above the grounds was a balcony with Nero, sitting in a plush velvet seat across another person, his guest possibly, laughing at some unheard joke. The music started up, and immediately someone was pushed on stage.

Two African American boys, possibly brothers, instructed something to the DJ. The man in large headphones nodded, and blasted something on the speakers. Everyone started cheering as the familiar song played on the speakers.

Most of the people at Otto's table grinned, and whooped, recognizing the tune. Only Wing and Otto didn't do so, but Wing _did_ smirk. Otto kept a straight, if slightly confused face (1).

The younger looking boy started.

_I wanna be a billionaire so frickin' bad _he sang. Everyone cheered._  
Buy all of the things I never had. I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine, smiling next to Oprah and the Queen._

Everyone began singing along.

_Oh every time I close my eyes, I see my name in shining lights. A different city every night, oh I, I swear, the world better prepare for when I'm a billionaire! _

His older brother began rapping. Everyone screamed for them.

_Yeah I would have a show like Oprah, I would be the host of, everyday Christmas, give Travie a wish list. I'd probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt, and adopt a bunch of babies that ain't never had sh-t. Give away a few Mercedes like "here lady have this", and last but not least grant somebody their last wish._

Some people began break dancing on the open floor. The surging crowd laughed, cheering, all at once.

_It's been a couple months since I've single so you can call me Travie Claus minus the Ho Ho. Get it? Haha, I'd probably visit where Katrina hit and damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did. Yeah can't forget about me stupid, everywhere I go I'm a have my own theme music__—_

He and his brother began singing together, the younger one taking the higher part.

_Oh every time I close my eyes, I see my name in shining lights. A different city every night, oh I, I swear, the world better prepare for when I'm a billionaire! _

The older brother started again. He pretended to play basketball with his brother, before casually saluting Nero above him. Nero grinned, before saluting him back.

_I'll be playing basketball with the president, dunking all his delegates, then I'll compliment him for his political etiquette. Toss a couple milli in the air just for the heck of it, but keep the five, twenties, tens and Bens completely separate. Ye-ah, I_'_ll be in a whole new tax bracket, we in recession, but lemme take a crack at it._

His younger brother began break dancing on stage, waiting for his part.

_I'll probably take whatever's left and just split it up, so everybody that I love can have a couple bucks. And not a single tummy around me would know what hungry was, eating good sleeping soundly. I know we all have a similar dream, go in your pocket pull out your wallet and put it in the air and sing__—_

Everyone sang along again. The younger brother began singing again.

_I wanna be a billionaire so frickin' bad, buy all of the things I never had. I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine, smiling next to Oprah and the Queen. _

His brother interrupted. _What up Oprah?_ He laughed. So did everyone else there.

_Oh every time I close my eyes, I see my name in shining lights. A different city every night, oh I, I swear, the world better prepare for when I'm a billionaire! _

_Oh oooh, woah oooh, for when I'm a Billionaire! Oh oooh, woah oooh, for when I'm a Billionaire! _He sang. Everyone sang the last few words together.

_I wanna be a billionaire so frickin' bad! _

All of the people there, the employees, the competitors, even Nero started cheering and clapping, awaiting the next singer. The brothers bowed, laughing, and left the stage.

It was at that moment Billie realized her sister went missing.

"Hoooh _crap_." she said. Wing looked to her, confused. Billie sighed, before slumping forward on the table.

"What's wrong?" Wing asked. Billie laughed, exasperated. She pointed at the direction of the stage, and immediately he knew.

Maya was on the stage, alone on the large, brightly lit stage. A few other people, dancers maybe, joined her. She whispered instructions to them, and they all grinned, high-fived each other, and took their places on the stage. Billie muttered something incoherently. Wing raised his eyebrow.

"She _loves _performing on stage." she answered. "Even more than the fighting. On her "Stuff I love to do" list it would only come second to cooking, which is her best bet at life. Next is acting, singing, dancing, talking, or all of the above on any surface at all. After that is martial arts."

Wing chuckled lightly, before joining his friends in the crowd that grew every second. Billie followed afterwards, only slowly, trying to avoid her sister's gaze from the stage. The music blasted room the speakers, and though not everyone recognized it right away, the other music geeks grinned and cheered them on.

Trumpets blared, and drums rolled, like some old 60's song. Wing stared at what was happening on stage. Music played for a short while, before he concentrated on Maya, on the highest part of the stage, at the back, on raised stairs.

"_'Bout twenty years ago way down in New Orleans," _she started._ "A group of fellers found a new kind of music. An' they decided to call it... JAZZ. __No other sound has what this music has..."_

Maya started stepping down the stairs, facing one side. Once she came down, the other dancers on stage lined up. She stayed in front, leading them on.

"_Before they knew it, it was whizzing 'round the world..."_

She leaned back onto one of the dancers. He carried her onto his back, before flipping her back to her feet.

"_The world was ready for a blue kind of music..."_

The dancers all circled around her, as though they were vultures circling prey. Maya grinned devilishly, before grabbing and twirling one of the canes one of the dancers held. He pretended to fall off his feet. She cornered him with his own cane.

"_And now they play it from Steamboat Springs to La Paz..."_

Everyone began snapping their fingers. Other dancers emerged from the sides of the stage. Maya walked back up stage, throwing the cane back to the dancer she had cornered. She watched the dancers for a while, before moving back forward while singing.

"_Oh baby, won't you play me Le Jazz Hot, maybe, and don't ever let it end..."_

She spun around, before being carried away by the dancers. She surged onwards once they let her down.

"_I tell you friend, it's really something to hear! I can't sit still when there's that rhythm near me..."_

She began dancing with the dancers, taking the arm of one of the boys. The crowd, most of it anyway, began cheering them on. The others had grins and smiles on their faces.

"_When you play me, Le Jazz Hot, maybe__— You're__ holding my soul together!"_

She joined the others in a can-can. Everyone cheered and laughed.

"_Don't know whether it's morning or night, only know it's sounding right!"_

She snapped her fingers as she moved backwards. Everyone shouted the next line. "SO COME ON!" they all said. Wing could see Maya's audible laugh as she continued dancing.

"—_in and play me Le Jazz Hot maybe, 'cause I love my jazz... HOT!" _

She performed a back bend as she prolonged the last note. She moved forward as she reached her ending.

"_Le Jazz..." _Everyone awaited the grand ending of her song. Maya lengthened the word "Hot", singing higher and higher and higher, until everyone screamed and cheered her on.

"_Le. Jazz. HOT." _she whispered. Everyone clapped and cheered, and all her friends began laughing and hooting as she approached them. Even Billie was laughing as she approached them.

"Nice one." Shelby said, clapping her hand on Maya's shoulder. All the girls were grinning, as Kent began whistling. Maya bowed mockingly.

"Now... who's next?"

* * *

**(1) Poor Otto, he has no idea of how the outside world's pop culture is like xD**

**So this is only part one in the karaoke sequence of Battala, so expect more singing in the next chapter! :D**

**CHRIS COLFFFEEEEEERRRRR!**

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! :D  
**


	20. Take Me, I am James Bond! Karaoke Two!

**GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEEGLEE****GLEE.**

**Ahem. Yeah, you can guess what I'm fangirling over right now, right? xD**

**BUT THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR IT. THIS IS FOR SPARTA-Er, Battala xD. BUT SINGING IS GOOD.**

**So yeah, there are actually some implications of stuff here for the later chapters. If you have a good eye, you'll probably spot them ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.**

**Songs are "Take Me Or Leave Me" from the musical _Rent, _and "James Bond", from _Scouting For Girls. _Lyrics from lyricsmode-dot-com and youtube-dot-com respectively.  
**

* * *

"GO SHEL! GO LAURA!"

The group of Wing, Otto, Maya, Billie, Kent, Rom and Senka began cheering the two on, as they climbed on stage. In truth, Shelby had literally dragged Laura to where she was now, just so they could sing a duet. From the look in her eyes Laura was probably going to kill her partner after their song.

"YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!" Maya cheered. Shelby replied with a "HELL YEAH!" rivaling the din in the hall. Laura just groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. Shelby, grinning, whispered something to her, making her snap out of her annoyed reverie. Laura nodded, actually looking excited. Wing wondered what magical word Shelby had whispered to suddenly make Laura seem as though she were high on chocolate.

The few notes that played answered his question.

"_I love Broadway." Laura had mentioned out of the blue, while they were all eating lunch a few days ago. Wing raised an eyebrow. Laura just shrugged. Shelby looked interested. Otto was concentrating on his pudding._

"_Whenever my mom can escape work and have a vacation, we usually fly to New York just for the hot dogs and the Broadway shows." she said. She shrugged again, spooning some bread and butter pudding into her mouth. "When I turned fourteen she let me watch RENT. It's my favorite now, even more than Wicked."_

"_I'm going to pretend I know what you're talking about." Wing said, grinning. Shelby rolled her eyes._

"_You country hick." she said, chuckling. _

After that, Laura had begun playing RENT songs on her computer every day, especially when her friends were in the room. Even if Wing had no idea of the story itself, he felt as though he knew all the songs by heart.

Two plush chairs were lifted onto the stage, per Laura's instructions. Shelby grinned. From the look of her face Laura must have told her to _have fun_.

This was going to be so awesome.

A few notes on the prerecorded piano played, catching most of the crowd's attention. Nero definitely seemed to recognize the song, and he faced the stage, enjoying the scene immensely. Even Otto seemed interested. Wing felt out of place.

_Every single day, _Shelby sang. _I walk down the street, I hear people say, "Baby so sweet."_

Shelby swayed her hips and bent low. She stood up again, and faced the crowd.

_Ever since puberty, everybody stares at me__—__ b__oys, girls, I can't help it baby! _She pointed to different people below her, concentrating greatly on Wing. Senka wolf whistled, elbowing said Asian. Wing merely grinned.

Shelby began to strut to the left of the stage, closer to Laura who was just sitting on one of the chairs. She pretended to look bemused.

_So be kind, and don't lose your mind. _Shelby said, wagging her finger. She leaned onto Laura's chair. _Just remember that I'm your baby!_

_Take me for what I am, who I was meant to be! _Shelby skipped around the stage. She jumped onto one of the stairs on the stage. She pointed to Laura. _And if you give a damn, take me baby or leave me. Take me baby or leave me!_

_A tiger in a cage, _Shelby crouched down. She jumped up, stretching her hands out. _Can never see the sun! This diva needs her stage, baby__— __let's have fun! _She ran to Laura, who was still on the chair.

_You are the one I choose,_ Shelby said, putting a finger on Laura's chest. She playfully pushed her away, skipping off and shrugging, before pointing back to her. _Folks would kill to fill your shoes! You love the limelight too now, baby_

_So be mine and don't waste my time! _Shelby hugged herself, then let her hands fly in the air. She dropped to her knees, facing Laura. She pretended to look desperate. _Cryin' __—__"Oh Honeybear, are you still my, my, my, baby?"_

_Take me for what I am, who I was meant to be! And if you give a damn, take me baby or leave me!_ She skipped around the stage, playing around with the props on the stage.

Shelby shook her head and her finger. _No way - can I be what I'm not. _She swayed her hips seductively. All the boys in the crowd sheered. _But hey - don't you want your girl hot?_

_Don't fight - don't lose your head! _Shelby ran to the unoccupied chair. _Cause every night - who's in your bed?_ She jumped on it, tipping it over in one smooth motion. She made small steps to where Laura was. She gave an innocent pout and sat on her knees. _Who? Who's in your bed? _She made a kissy face, making everyone laugh. _Kiss, Pookie._

Laura frowned, before pushing Shelby off her and leaving her disgruntled. She stiffly walked away from her, crossing her arms. _It won't work, I look before I leap. I love margins and discipline. I make lists in my sleep, baby, what's my sin? _She waved her arms anxiously, before rubbing her temples.

Shelby had crept up to Laura, grabbing her shoulders. Laura turned around, making Shelby step back. Laura kept walking forward, making her partner retreat step by step. _Never quit__—__I follow through. I hate mess, _Laura said, putting a finger on Shelby's nose. _But I love you. _She turned around, looking flustered. _What to do with my impromptu baby?_

Laura looked at Shelby slyly. _So be wise, 'cause this girl satisfies. _Laura pointed to Shelby. _You've got a prize but don't compromise __— __you're one lucky baby!_

They began their duet.

_Take me for what I am! _Laura said. Shelby rolled her eyes. _A control freak. _She muttered loudly.

_Who I was meant to be!_

_A snob, yet over attentive. _Shelby said, grinning.

Laura ran to her partner, grabbing a shoulder. _And if you give a damn__—_

_A lovable, droll, geek__—_Shelby exclaimed.

_Take me baby or leave me! _Laura said. Shelby cackled, and pushed her partner away. _And anal retentive! _She shouted. Everyone laughed, and then cheered.

_That's it! _They both shouted. _The straw that breaks my back_, Laura muttered. _I quit,_ they both sang. _Unless you take it back! _Laura sang, pointing to Shelby.

_Women! _They both sang. Shelby looked exasperated, as she said, _What is it about them?_

_Can't live, with them or without them!_ They both sang. They faced each other, after walking away. They reacted differently, Laura holding her ground, while Shelby gracefully freaking out. They sang together.

_Can't live w__ith them or without them! Take me for what I am who I was meant to be! And if you give a damn, you better, take me baby or leave me! _They both climbed up the stairs, angrily staring at each other as they reached the top.

_Take me baby_...They sang. At the very climax of the song, they jumped off the stairs. _Or leave me. _Shelby and Laura walked away from each other.

_Guess I'm leavin'. _They sang angrily. _I'm gone!_

Once the music had stopped, everyone clapped, cheering wildly. The two of them, grinning, wen back to center stage and bowed. They were laughing raucously as they went back to their group.

"Nice one!" Senka said, clapping Laura on the back. She grinned. Rom smiled and nodded, while Shelby was laughing. She hugged the shy girl, making Senka frown childishly.

"Hands off girl, she's mine." she said, making everyone laugh.

"Hey..." Rom said when they all stopped. "Where's Kent?"

They all looked to the stage, somehow knowing what was going to happen next.

Kent was on the stage, instructing the attendants about his song. He waved to his friends, smirking, before watching one of the attendants replace the girls' chairs with an office chair and a wooden table with what looked like a martini. He accepted a microphone, before straightening the suit he wore to the karaoke event.

"_Why in skipping daisies are you wearing a suit?" Senka asked while they were walking to the event area. "It's a karaoke party! No one else will be wearing suits!"_

"_It's all a part of my act, dear." He replied, grinning. "Believe me, I know I'm going to sing, and I know what I'm going to sing."_

"_Best not let Rom catch you calling me "dear"." Senka said, grinning back. "She's a hell of a lot more dangerous than you think."_

"_Of that, I don't doubt." Kent said, bowing._

Unfamiliar electric piano music played. Bass followed, and Kent began talking straight into the microphone. With his face stuck to the mike, and with his hand covering the head, it sounded like static; just like a message being transmitted from the earpieces spies used for their missions.

_007—_ _Britain's finest secret agent, licensed to kill… _Kent started. Everyone began cheering, knowing exactly who they were talking about. Otto inwardly smirked. Only now did he feel how connected that line was to him.

… _Mixing business with girls and thrills! I've seen you walk the screen; it's you that I adore. _Otto's mind-smirk quickly disappeared. Yeah. Never mind what he had thought beforehand.

Kent shoved one hand into his suit pockets. He strode across the stage. _I've seen you walk the screen; it's you that I adore. _He sang in a French accented tone. The girls gathered near the stage began swooning as the French boy winked at them. Every one of his friends rolled their eyes and laughed. However, they had to admit he sounded good. He didn't sound as manly as the original singer did. In fact, he sounded a hell of a lot sexier.

"Just ignore the swooning fan girls." Otto muttered.

_Since I was a boy I've wanted to be like Roger Moore! A girl in every port, and gadgets up my sleeve! _Kent threw his hands out, pushing back his sleeves. _The world is not enough for the both of us it seems. _He pointed in Otto's direction, making his friends grin and cheer.

_So I wish I was James Bond, just for the day! Kissing all the girls, blow the bad guys away. And I wish I was James Bond, just for the day! Kissing all the girls, blow the bad guys away._ Two female attendants swooped into his outstretched arms and Kent finger-gunned the two men sneakily approaching them.

The two girls twirled out of his arms, allowing Kent to run onto one of the office chairs. He rolled across half of the stage, before jumping behind the chair, spinning it and sitting on it. It continued to spin and move, until he reached the table with the martini. He stopped the chair, facing the audience.

_Hello Mr. Bond, I've been expecting you— _He said in a mysterious voice. He picked up the martini (Shaken, not stirred) and raised his well-trained eyebrow. —_Martini in your hand, and that eyebrow that you move._

_Don't take this the wrong way; I know it might sound odd. _Kent stood up, shrugging. He walked a little, a hand in his pocket, before turning to face his friends again and pointing at them. _I'm the next double 0; I'm the right man for the job. _He sang.

_So I wish I was James Bond, just for the day!  
Kissing all the girls, blow the bad guys away.  
And I wish I was James Bond, just for the day!  
Kissing all the girls, blow the bad guys away._

While singing, he finger-gunned all his "attackers", who were just attendants in black clothing. He strutted forward, blowing the smoke from his "gun". _I've a license, I've a license, I've a license to thrill. I've a license, I've a license, I've a license to kill._

Everyone in the room joined him, as he repeated his lines. _I've a license, I've a license, I've a license to thrill. I've a license, I've a license, I've a license to kill!_

Again, for the third time he pointed to Otto. He had the slightest look of desperation in his eyes, something only with a good, attentive eye would see. _I wanted to be you, I wanted to be you, I wanted to be someone else. I wanted to be you, I wanted to be you, I wanted to be someone else!_

Kent flumped onto the office chair, still spinning, tired. _And I wish I was James Bond, just for the day. Kissing all the girls, blow the bad guys away. And I wish I was James Bond, just for the day—  
_He stopped his chair, stood up, as though electrocuted, and began jumping in beat with the song. Everyone joined in. _Kissing all the girls, blow the bad guys away! _They all sang. _And I wish I was James Bond, just for the day. Kissing all the girls, blow the bad guys away!_

_Roger, _He started, singing the names of the actors of James Bond. A_nd Shaun, and Timmy, and George, and Daniel, and Pierce, and maybe one day—_

Incessant beeping began from both sides of the hall. The next battle was about to begin.

* * *

**Heehee, cliffy xD**

**So yeah, betcha you saw the clue already xD By the way, _no_, I'm not turning Shelby and Laura lesbian. I've already established Senka and Rom :D**

**Read and Review! (And worship Chris Colfer- Yeah... Never mind xD)  
**


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